YesterYear and the World of Tomorrow

Its 1950, and television is capturing the hearts of people, and advertisers then ever before. By this time most middle class, and all upper class families have a television set. Television is allowing advertisers to inform consumers like never before possible, they can now talk about a product like on radio, the visual effects used in print, and the ability to demonstrate its use as if in person.

Which is evident that, that is what they were thinking when they made a lot of these commercials. Most of them come off a glorified sales pitches, focused on explaining ALL of the features of a product whether people cared or not.

Television quickly became the new prestige medium, and company wanted to get on it, and for those companies that had the means to create a commercial had the possibility of becoming an instant success. Not to mention with there only being 3 or 4 stations, and some not being available in all areas, you knew that the "world", or at least majority of North America would see your commercial.

 Here is a compilation of several car, and food commercials which aired in the 1950's and possibly '60's.







I must say I was actually surprised to notice how well they actually 'positioned' their brands, and their products. I had originally expected many of these to just talk about the product benefits, and then say buy it. Well technically they did, but most of them didn't take it overboard to point of making it boring, and strictly informational. I would even go as far to say that the car companies then did a better job at positioning their cars, then they do currently.

Although it must have been easier in those days because consumers weren't as segmented, and differentiated in their tastes, lifestyles, and attitudes; the men went to work, the women cleaned the home, and kids like candy, and you either had lots of money, or cared about finding a good price. At least this is the way that the media has portrayed society in the 1950's through commercials, television, and movies.

over here; metaphorically speaking of

In the world of tomorrow consumers are here, and there, and course. This makes advertising much more difficult. From knowing how you will talk to them, to why, to when, to what you will talk to them about, and lets not forget WHERE we are going to even be able to reach them. This is why I believe that the positioning and targeting of advertisements in the 1950's was much better, or at least from what I can see from researching.

Though I will say this "WE ARE WAY MORE CREATIVE! Take that 1950's society!". Though this is out of necessity as mentioned before consumers are more segmented then ever, but also consumers believe that they have seen everything by now, so we need to be able to show them something new, and exciting just to get them to give us 15 to 30 measly seconds of their time.

Now I want to leave you with another type of nostalgia, and interest for me. 1950's predictions of the future.