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1-JAN-2026 | Excerpt from David Abbott’s “2009” Ad for VW

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Dan Bogachek
January 01, 2026

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Excerpt from David Abbott’s “2009” Ad for VW

One of the last ads (if not the last) from the legendary David Abbott.

2009 isn’t the year to take up gambling.

A recession is no time to take risks.

So if you’re thinking of buying a commercial vehicle, buy one that makes commercial sense.

A Volkswagen.

Whatever their size, we build our vans to be robust and trouble-free. Like the Volkswagen Transporter.

It’s so well built that when you come to sell it there’ll always be someone keen to buy it — and not for a knockdown price, either. After 3 years of use, you’ll get more of your investment back than with any other van in its class. (Including Mercedes.) 🏁

  • Negative hook: when something isn’t, it begs the question… what is it then?

  • Intra-sentence repetition: "commercial vehicle” → “commercial sense.” Pleasing.

  • Benefits >> features. Notice how “robust and trouble-free” is all about your experience — not what it looks like?

  • Complete ideas >> complete sentences. “Like the Volkswagen Transporter” is the second half of a 1-2, punctuating the previous longer point. We’ve got two prominent 1-2’s in this excerpt.

  • Tactical parenthetical sentence!