Advertising in the 50s was primarily focused on the return of traditional family values, and portraying the consumer’s role in society’s prestige. But, during the recession of 1959 to 1961, the time was ripe for some innovation in the advertising industry. Surly enough, a single ad appeared that changed the course of advertising history. The Volkswagen Beetle, a seemingly ugly car with all odds against it in the American market of huge, tail-finned vehicles of the 1950s, surprisingly prospered. The advertisement campaign broke all previous rules of using wide-angle photography, and beautiful women. These advertisements stole the American hearts with their wit and honesty.
Doyle Dane Bernbach’s (DDB) Volkswagen “Think Small,” campaign did more than boost sales and build brand recognition; It’s 1960s advertising campaign ushered a creative revolution in the advertising industry starting from the ‘big idea,’ to what consumers see in 2013.
Smiling faces, beautiful women and “American made” were the typical elements in advertisements during this decade. DDB’s first “big idea” behind the campaign was no different; The main goal was to make the Volkswagen more American by shooting Suzy Parker standing next to a Volkswagen. It wasn’t until after visiting the production line and watching the step by step production of the Volkswagen did DDB strike gold with an innovate new “big idea.” What resonated with the American advertising team the most during this visit was the incredible quality control of the German factory, thus they decided on “an honest car promoted with Honesty.”
The campaign was built on selling a single advantage of the car in each ad that was created. There was a consistent theme between each advertisement: the pict...
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...s each Volkswagen advertisement brought humor and truth into automobile advertising.
References
Bendinger, Bruce. The Copy Workshop Workbook, 4th ed. (Chicago: Copy Workshop, 2009). 21, 49, 334.
Berkman, Herald W. and Gilson, Christopher. Advertising: Concepts and Strategies, 2nd ed.. (New York: Random House, 1987). 244.
Goodrum, Charles and Dalrymple, Helen, Advertising in America: The First 200 Years. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1990). 37.
Nelson, Walter E. Small Wonder: The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen. (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1970). 213-220.
Rowsome, Frank. Think Small: The story of those Volkswagen ads. (Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1907). 76-78.
Warlaumont, Hazel G. Advertising in the 60s: Turncoats, Traditionalists, and Waste Makers in America’s Turbulent Decade. (Connecticut: PRAGER, 2001). 184-86.
The Ad and the Ego traces advertising's development from its largely descriptive 19th century origins
Thus, the sixties triggered not only political change but also social and cultural reformations. Advertisers realized that they shou...
Written to inform others on the past 100 years of advertisement, “The Hard Sell” allows us to take a look back at advertising and how it has changed our ways of selling products. Bill Bryson is a “versatile American author of several books on travel, science and literature”, who served as a chancellor of Durham University in England and has received honorary awards Bryson is more than capable of informing readers about The Hard Sell (120). Bryson will introduce the importance of advertisement from an excerpt from his own book Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States.
Fowles, Jib. “Advertising's Fifteen Basic Appeals.” Eds Michael Petracca, Madeleine Sorapure. Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Pop Culture. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 54-72. Print.
Fahrenheit 451, a novel written during the 20th century, highlighted the faults of advertising in American marketing. With the emersion of the television, advertising agencies drastically gained popularity and income. “J. Walter Thompson Co… saw its billings increase from $78 million in 1945 to $172 million in 1955 and $250 million by 1960” (“Advertising Age”). Explain. Through the novel Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury cautions that constant simplifications displayed through visual advertising only help to further mass conformity. This is shown through the visual advertising during the 1950s that promoted mass produced goods, and the suburban family ideal which pushed America to assimilation.
Advertising (marketing) in America is long past its zenith. There may have been a time when people actually paid attention to all of the flash, the glitz, and the hype, but most consumers (especially those in Generation X) are savvy and somewhat skeptical. The public is less impressed and views these types of marketing attempts as desperate, and even pathetic. Marlboro Friday (977) may stand out as a monumental day in the minds of advertisers, but there is another moment that stands out in the minds of consumers; the night a woman disrobed during half-time show at the Super Bowl. It was as if time stood still as a nation witnessed advertising shorn of its pretense. This one event exposed the true state of marketing in America. It seems every attempt to hoodwink and capture the attention of the population has already been tried; there is nowhere new to go. Stooping to nudity to try and capture the attention of the public confirms what the consumer already knows; it doesn’t matter how firms try and “clothe” their products; underneath they are all the same.
Studebaker advertises not only to the ritzy and famous but also to the blue-collar worker. This was pulled off by strategically placing the 1947 Studebaker in the center of the advertisement. Instead of superior or inferior to an object like the people in the advertisement. It seems as if owning a Studebaker is realistic and manageable for the “average joe”. The polished, elegant machine is placed in front and is made sure to look like it was just driven of the car lot -- not a single scratch or dent is in sight. Every line is crisp and precise making the car looking like it belongs in a famous persons five car garage. Perhaps this was done to pull at the dreams of...
All in all, it seems that car companies can use posters to advertise their upcoming vehicle and get creative with it. It just goes to show this creativity of poster ads leads to countless ways of influencing and even repelling different consumer groups. Looking back, it also appears that behind these texts and images are tactful tools of advertising that can be manipulative and associative, and persuade to appeals of reason or emotion.
This essay is an analysis of two advertising posters, one of being a modern piece of media, the other being aimed at the previous generation. I will be reviewing posters from Coca Cola and Benetton, the latter being the modern piece of media in this comparison.
Advertising is so prominent in American culture, and even the world at large, that this media form becomes reflective of the values and expectations of the nation’s society at large.
The late 80’s all the way through the end of the 90’s were a time of new ideas and technology. It also was an era of unique car and truck styling. There are lots of people my age who do not like this era of cars and trucks. However, for me it is the best time period for American cars and trucks. Because of my love for these cars and trucks I have chosen to use two Chevrolet ads from this era for this writing project. The first advertisement is an advertisement for a Chevy truck, more specifically the Chevy 454 SS. This one is going to be called advertisement number 1. The other is an advertisement for the Chevy Camaro RS, a common sports car of good looks and durability. This one is going to be called advertisement number 2. In the ensuing
“Magazine Ads of the 50s through the 80s.” BlogSpot, N.p. 8 August 2008. Web. 4 October 2009.
... every promotion. Automotive ads will forever be associated with such subject matters because they sell cars, simply said. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it.
During the 19th and 20th century, America –mostly white collar, middle class Americans- saw a great increase in salaries and a huge rise in mass production which paved the way for the modern American consumerism which we know today. The advertising scene saw a dramatic boost during that period and tried to latch on to this growing pool of emerging consumers. Although only limited to print, advertising during this pivotal period showed panache and reflected American society
...el: Originality and Elaboration. Furthermore, it is estimated that target-consumers will clearly resonate with the advertisement in terms of Brand Awareness and Brand Liking stages of the Hierarchy of Effect Model. The creative storytelling that a overprotective father snoop around his daughter 's date achieves comedy purposes. This advertisement thoroughly illustrates the fantastic capability of the Car Finder in Hyundai Genesis and it is advisable that this advertisement wins the USA TODAY 's Super Bowl in 2016. To optimize this advertisement, it is reasonable that the characters reflect the multicultural American society. The actors and actresses in the advertisement are almost exclusively afro-American, with only brief appearance by Caucasian in the amusement park. This minor change will create a more socially inclusive company inclusive company image of Hyundai.