VintageVerse | Ever wonder what a Fried-Our-Kombie is? | Men at Work – Down Under
To succeed, today brands must engage with their customers through story. The most successful brands become a part of the their customers story & through that perspective a part of “Pop Culture”.
In the dictionary: #PopCulture - “refers to the ideas, attitudes, perspectives and images that become part of our everyday lives”.
This blending of brand & culture can readily be seen in music lyrics. And a notable example is:
Men at works song: “Down Under”.
Lyrics:
Traveling in a fried-out Kombie (combie)
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said
Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover
Men at Work – Down Under (Colin Hay, Ron Strykert)
Other notable examples include:
Don McLean’s – American Pie
We all know the lyric:
“Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry”
Or
The kinks - lola
“You drink champagne and it tastes just like Coca-Cola.”
Although some legalities in the 70’s had some versions changed to “Cherry Cola”. I think Coca Cola at the time missed the boat on that one. That’s a topic for another post.
Brands and Culture are shaped by the stories we tell. The best brands are the greatest story tellers.
ANSWER:
A “Kombie” is a broken down Volkswagen (VW) combination van & "fried-out" means overheated.
Volkswagen has become very good at embedding itself in pop culture. From the “Kombie” to the VW “Beetle” – think Herbie.
It has peeked my curiosity as to how many top 100 songs have referenced a VW vehicle. An idea for a future post. 😊
#LinkedinCreators: What brands do you see embedded in popular culture today? Comment below.
#VintageVerse #002
#Linkedincreator #volkswagen #menatwork #Marketing #Branding #Socialmedia #linkedin #brand #popculture