Every business has its own story. Over the next six weeks, we’ll be looking at some of the inspirational, lucky and humorous stories of the world’s best known brands. First up: Volkswagen.

Before 1959, Volkswagen had had a chequered history, tainted by associations with Hitler, and not exactly loved by consumers outside Germany.

In 1950s America, car ads were all about horsepower, glory, the American Dream. How would a small, ugly (or cute) German car named after an insect, penetrate the market?

A small New York agency called Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) had the answer: a series of simple, witty press ads that completely undermined conventional automotive advertising and how consumers thought about cars.

Headlines such as ‘Live Below Your Means’ and ‘Think Small’ introduced the car buying public to a new way of looking at vehicles. DDB’s strategy was not to sell the brand to an uninterested audience, but to create a loyal following of brand ambassadors who would disseminate messages of economy, reliability and sound engineering which were implied (never stated) in the ads.

The Beetle campaign spawned a whole series of iconic ads, all bearing the humorous, self-mocking tone of voice, and helped VW become the most popular foreign car brand in the US through the 1960s.

At Stratton Craig, we’re professional storytellers. We can help you tell your story, and win new affection for your brand among your target market.

To find out more about what we can do for you, please call us on 0117 937 1383, email storytelling@strattoncraig.co.uk or visit www.strattoncraig.co.uk.

Stratton Craig has made it into the South West’s Top 100 Creative Companies league table.

The league table, published in May, is the first annual roundup of all the leading TV, digital, marketing, design, PR, publishing and animation companies across the region.

Companies are judged on a number of criteria such as turnover, but also best new business wins and best staff take-on.

Stratton Craig has won some major projects in the past year, including a complete web overhaul for British Airways Holidays, a quarterly newsletter for hotel firm Accor, and a recruitment site for KPMG Brazil.

But the best new business win for Stratton Craig was to write the annual report for BG Group, a leading player in the global energy market. In the last year Stratton Craig has also recruited Nigel Cole, formerly BBC1’s first ever Creative Director and the ex-Creative Director of all BBC global channels.

This ranking is recognition of Stratton Craig’s ability to deliver great writing and world-class thinking to clients globally.

For more information about the South West Top 100 Creative Companies visit www.swtop100.co.uk.

To find out how good copy from Stratton Craig could take your business forward, visit www.strattoncraig.co.uk, call 0117 937 1383 or email copy@strattoncraig.co.uk.

LawNet is choosing to maintain its customer communications when others are scaling it down, and continuing to use Stratton Craig for all their editorial responsibilities.

Stratton Craig has worked with LawNet, the UK’s leading network of independent legal practices, for over 10 years. This long-term relationship ensures Stratton Craig understands exactly what LawNet needs, and delivers it every time.

LawNet relies on Stratton Craig to provide constant writing support, including various generations of their website and a monthly press release service.

Stratton Craig is currently delivering a complete editorial service for their biennial Business First magazine and quarterly Right Focus newsletter, including researching and writing all the articles.

These publications give LawNet’s member firms regular client collateral that exceeds in scope and quality that of the largest international practices.

“One of the best things about working with Stratton Craig is their self-starter mentality. They’re constantly coming up with new ideas for articles and press releases. Add to that the consistently high quality of their work, and you have a winning serviceâ€� said George Coombes, Marketing & Research Executive, LawNet.

To find out how good copy from Stratton Craig could take your business forward, visit www.strattoncraig.co.uk, call 0117 937 1383 or email copy@strattoncraig.co.uk.