A mystery
As I was driving back home from Ohio yesterday with nothing better to do, I began thinking about how television advertising has changed over the years. Back in the 50's, 60's and 70's, the among the staples of TV advertising were
cigarettes: "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should."
soap and detergent products: remember the "White Tornado," "Mr. Clean," "Wanda the Witch," and all the ads for Tide, Bold, Thrill, All, and Ivory Detergent? And, who was that guy that suddenly materialized out of nowhere in the middle of some lass's kitchen just in time to save her from slaving away on her hands and knees to clean the floor? And the endless hawking of Ivory (99 and 44 hundreths percent pure), Safeguard, Camay, Dial? Then, there were the steel wool wars with Brillo v. SOS. Or the cleanser wars with Comet v. Ajax.
personal care products: Here I have in mind all the toothpaste ads, often with illustrations of the tooth and how the enamel gets penetrated by those horrible things that Crest or Colgate or whatever keeps away. The hyping of the American Dental Association endorsements. Also, all the various hair gels and sprays like Brill Cream - a little dab will do ya. Or, maybe you prefer some Vitalis or some goop with "lanolin plus" in it. The hair care products like Toni hair dyes and Prell shampoo or Breck or whatever that makes the hair shine. Remember all the dandruff ads for Head and Shoulders with people embarrassed by the flecks of dandruff on their black suit jackets? Shaving cream was also a big one, with endless ads for one brand or another, each promising a thicker lather or a smoother shave. After the shave, we had Aqua Velva v. Old Spice -- "Old Spice means quality, said the captain to the boswain, so look for the package with the ship that sails the ocean." And, we can't forget the blades --- Wilkenson Sword v. Gillette.
over-the-counter medications: There were the aspirin v. Bufferin wars with the illustrations of pills descending through the larynx to the stomach and dissolving faster or slower and then seeping into the blood stream and going to the brain. And the antacid wars; Tums v. Rolaids. The Excedrin headache. Oh yes, there were also all the ads for Geritol and Serutan ("nature's spelled backward"). Then came Tylenol and Advil. And, who can forget the "plop plop fiz fiz" or the "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" ads for Alka Seltzer?
Beer and auto ads were also staples, and they're still with us. We know why the cigarette ads are gone. They're now illegal. But, what happened to the soap, personal care, and over-the-counter meds? Sure, you still hear an occasional ad for these things, but it's nowhere near the almost continuous drone of yore. If it was worth advertising them in the past, why not now? Is it the aging population? I mean, after all, there are still plenty of young people growing up and coming of buying age. Is it the changing structure of TV, with many more channels? Why wouldn't that affect the car or the beer ads too? Have people decided it's better to compete on price than on brand image? I find that hard to believe. So, what's the explanation?
cigarettes: "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should."
soap and detergent products: remember the "White Tornado," "Mr. Clean," "Wanda the Witch," and all the ads for Tide, Bold, Thrill, All, and Ivory Detergent? And, who was that guy that suddenly materialized out of nowhere in the middle of some lass's kitchen just in time to save her from slaving away on her hands and knees to clean the floor? And the endless hawking of Ivory (99 and 44 hundreths percent pure), Safeguard, Camay, Dial? Then, there were the steel wool wars with Brillo v. SOS. Or the cleanser wars with Comet v. Ajax.
personal care products: Here I have in mind all the toothpaste ads, often with illustrations of the tooth and how the enamel gets penetrated by those horrible things that Crest or Colgate or whatever keeps away. The hyping of the American Dental Association endorsements. Also, all the various hair gels and sprays like Brill Cream - a little dab will do ya. Or, maybe you prefer some Vitalis or some goop with "lanolin plus" in it. The hair care products like Toni hair dyes and Prell shampoo or Breck or whatever that makes the hair shine. Remember all the dandruff ads for Head and Shoulders with people embarrassed by the flecks of dandruff on their black suit jackets? Shaving cream was also a big one, with endless ads for one brand or another, each promising a thicker lather or a smoother shave. After the shave, we had Aqua Velva v. Old Spice -- "Old Spice means quality, said the captain to the boswain, so look for the package with the ship that sails the ocean." And, we can't forget the blades --- Wilkenson Sword v. Gillette.
over-the-counter medications: There were the aspirin v. Bufferin wars with the illustrations of pills descending through the larynx to the stomach and dissolving faster or slower and then seeping into the blood stream and going to the brain. And the antacid wars; Tums v. Rolaids. The Excedrin headache. Oh yes, there were also all the ads for Geritol and Serutan ("nature's spelled backward"). Then came Tylenol and Advil. And, who can forget the "plop plop fiz fiz" or the "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" ads for Alka Seltzer?
Beer and auto ads were also staples, and they're still with us. We know why the cigarette ads are gone. They're now illegal. But, what happened to the soap, personal care, and over-the-counter meds? Sure, you still hear an occasional ad for these things, but it's nowhere near the almost continuous drone of yore. If it was worth advertising them in the past, why not now? Is it the aging population? I mean, after all, there are still plenty of young people growing up and coming of buying age. Is it the changing structure of TV, with many more channels? Why wouldn't that affect the car or the beer ads too? Have people decided it's better to compete on price than on brand image? I find that hard to believe. So, what's the explanation?
posted by walldon | 1:31 PM
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