Style
was very important in the 50s and 60s. Automobiles became a leader in
advertising markets. According to AdAge’s online article, History: 1950s, “Car owners of the mid-1950s began to see their
vehicles as extensions of themselves. Ever-changing designs pushed consumers to
replace their cars yearly - not for lack of performance,
but for lack of style. Automobile design, with its distinctive fins and heavy
emphasis on chrome, and advertising reflected the nation's infatuation with new
technology, jet planes and the atomic age.” This also coincides with society's infatuation with always wanting the new and best thing.
Society
was changing rapidly. This coincided with advertising in numerous ways. For
example, in the presidential election of 1960, the first-ever televised
election debate took place. This gave the people of the United States a way to
put a face to name, as well as gave the candidates another way to promote and
advertise themselves. Those who were watching the televised broadcast thought
that Kennedy won the debate, mostly due to his appearance, while those
listening to only the words on the radio thought that Nixon won. This goes to
show how technology was shaping the way Americans were thinking and processing
information.
Advertising
began to reflect what was happening in society. The baby boomer population led
to an increase in the number of people advertisers marketed to. The advertising
and society connection didn’t stop there. Take Elvis Presley for example. His
lyrics swooned the hearts and minds of many young teenagers, but his body
language while performing did not settle well with the older generation. He
turned his innocent songs into something of a more sexual nature by dancing in
a nature not-so-settling to parents. His hips thrusted, his shirt was
unbuttoned, his overall appearance drove the audience crazy. In the same sense,
advertising had to stoop to new sexual lows to gain the attention of the
audience. This is not anything new from what we are seeing in today’s
advertising world. Advertising was also reflective of society in political
ways. John F. Kennedy advertised himself as an all-American, for-the-people
man. He became very popular among the population – his good looks and charm did
not hurt him in office. When he was assassinated, the population mourned. They
felt connected to this man as if he was a relative. They felt as though they
had lost a loved one, and they did. Many tears were shed over this one person
that many never had time to meet.
Advertising
was also being influenced by the introduction of credit. As credit cards
started popping up more and more in the 60s, the American family had more money
to spend (or put on credit). This
means advertising was being fruitful in regards to company’s budgets. The idea?
Spend on advertising and gain more in revenue. The same idea persists today.
VIEW SOURCES
