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Advertisers in 1910
No surprise, the products that were most advertised in 1910 era magazines became familiar names in the modern age. Old Dutch made a cranky Dutch lady in clogs an advertising icon. (One era ad mocking the suffragists proclaimed Old Dutch to be "a champion of women's rights: the right to a clean home." ) Gillette, Heinz Beans, Mennen, Jello (promoted at the time as an easy dessert for new wives and hapless help) as well as Quaker Oats and Cream of Wheat and Kodak were all prominently advertised. Cream of Wheat employed slice-of-American life artwork, depicting, say, a typical country town with men playing horseshoes, or a housekeeper chasing a naughty child down a flight of stairs, the kind of thing Norman Rockwell became famous for. It would be an interesting study to trace Jello's advertising strategies over the century: I mean, Jello is a bunch of empty calories, but the product remains popular. And considering how Afro-Americans were depicted in early advertising (Uncle Ben is a holdover from a less enlightened age) using Bill Cosby as spokesperson was a refreshing change. (Two major advertisers were A T and T (Bell) and Ivory Soap.)
A Tale of Two 1910 Era Advertising Campaigns
Bell advertisements of the era featured no geckos, bunnies, puppy dogs or male beavers in an ambiguous relationship (the latest spokes-rodents for Bell Canada test-marketed in Quebec in 2005). They were intended to be educational. They had a drawing in blue pencil (to 'show') and lengthy discussion about the complications of running a communications network (to 'tell'). Ask yourself, why are telecommunications companies these days exploiting the universal appeal of our four legged friends to sell their products? But a few years ago an authoritative 'suit' - usually a handsome middle aged baritone-voiced white man on a bare stage -was used to extol the merits of one company over another. Those Apple Computer Ads with the trendy young guy conversing with the doughy yet inoffensive older guy turn this concept on its ear! These ads are also an insidiously charming twist on 'negative' advertising where one company criticizes a rival. These modern ads from Apple, which appear to be highly successful, 'show' rather than 'tell' employing a kind of playful 'improv' style, which young people are very familiar with.
Here follows a link to a vintage ad for A T A T: "The Comfort of the Telephone." Let's face it, the telephone was a great invention, so selling its merits wasn't that hard. But this ad also appeals to a man's emotions: his desire to protect his family.
CLICK FOR AT and T Ad
What happens though, when the product you are trying to sell, is just another brand of soap. CLICK for Ivory Ad.
Click for a whole bunch of 1910 era car ads from various magazines
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