Category: Advertising

When Weiners Were Hot Dogs

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It kind of sucks when things you grew up with and liked or possibly loved get twisted into something different and are forever tied to some stupid act or worse a really really really really dumb guy. When I was a kid, Oscar Mayer was synonymous with delicious hot dogs or bologna. A wiener was something you looked forward to at a ballgame or a cookout. Now, when someone says wiener, you immediately think of:




Oh sorry, that’s a picture of a twit not a wiener…….. or is it both……. hmmmm, so confused now. Honestly though, who could have seen it coming. Anthony Weiner always looked so confident, so professional and well adjusted. A man of power and resolve. Why would there be any reason after enjoying moderate political success that he’d crave and need the admiration of young women to feel powerful and accomplished? I’m sure as a young lad he got his ya ya’s out so that as an adult he could keep his libido in check. After all the action he must have got in high school and college he’d surely be able to keep his wiener in his pants right ?? 

   Oh snap………. never mind. 


Happy Retro Mother’s Day !!

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If you happen to have forgotten mother’s day, which is is today, don’t be surprised if the looks your getting from mama look something like this.


And rightly so. After all, regardless of what you think of your mother, remember one thing – she grew a human being inside her body. Let me say that again – she grew a human being (or possibly a few) in her body. For that alone you have to respect her. She sacrificed her body, time and energy and smothered you with unconditional love to make you the person you are today and you couldn’t take the time to drop by a Hallmark store? Mr T pities the fool that doesn’t respect his mom. 


I’m still lucky to have my mom in my life and it amazes me that even at her age she seems to have more energy than I do and still manages to keep smiling even with all the aches and pain that come with getting older. What’s the secret ? How does she do it ?


Many have entertained the Supermom theory and that would certainly explain a lot however a more plausible theory on how mom is able to do all that she does and still keep on smiling would be……..


Still, however it is they are able to do what they do and still keep on smiling, more power to them. For most of us, your mom was and possibly still is your rock that was there every time you had a bad day, or made a dumb mistake or just had a case of the blahs. One hug from her or a finely crafted bowl of soup and you felt better – that’s the true magic of motherhood and that’s what we celebrate. 


Here’s to all the mothers out there. Hope someone spoils you rotten…….. in a retro way (sorry – had to slip that in)

  
 

Evolution of the Coke Bottle

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There is no logo in the world that is more recognizable than the Coca Cola company’s flagship product. Coke and its classic bottle design are a symbol known all over the world. It’s gotten to the point you don’t even need to have the word Coke in an advertisement as long as the distinctive bottle shape is there somewhere in the image.


The classic shape has evolved over the last hundred years and has gone from a rather boring square shaped bottle to the curvy silhouette it now maintains. Below is a timeline picture showing the changes over the years.
The shape is also responsible for designers of other products to be inspired by the sexy elements of the bottle, most notably  car designers. there are many examples but one of the best is the 1968 Corvette.
The evolution of the bottle continues with many commemorative issues produced for various promotions but one of the latest trends was the availability of metal bottles as well. 
There is no doubt the bottle will continue to evolve and change slightly as time goes on but it’s not likely to change to something completely different. Makes no sense to change something that is so loved and part of the culture and identifiable as a classic Coke bottle design. That would be dumb – if you’re going to do that you may as well change the formula and come out with a New Coke………. oh wait, never mind.     
  

More Vintage Ads From A Simpler or Possibly More Gullible Time

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In a previous post we covered ads from a simpler time that were some of the most sexist we’ve seen. (Click here to see that post) Let’s take a look at a few more ads that were not so much sexist but just kinda dumb.  

This ad was pretty hopeful. Some day ALL beer cans will open as easy as the new Schlitz soft aluminum cans. The old cans needed a can opener to get to the amber nectar within but the new cans can be easily opened simply with…… a can opener. Progress baby……progress. 

No different than now, back in the 40s people would look to medical professionals for advice on how be the best they could be. Since more doctors preferred Camels, naturally the smart thing for a smoker to do was to switch to Camels as well. You’d have to be a complete idiot to smoke a brand not endorsed by a dapper doctor who smokes in his office. Been a long time since we’ve seen an ashtray in an examination room. 


While we’re on the subject of smoking, this ad also offered advice but this time it’s tips on how to be irresistible to women. Apparently if you blow in her face, shell follow you anywhere. Oh she’ll follow you alright. That ranks right up there with making her pay for her own dinner when on a date or hitting on her girlfriend right in front of her. Seriously……try it, girls love that. 

I’m fairly sure the follow-up ad was “They’re dead because they ate lard.” I’m not sure what’s more sad, the fact you owe your happiness in life to rendered pig fat or that people actually worked for an organization called the Lard Information Council. I’m guessing their office has re-enforced chairs……. just sayin’. 



So it appears the secret to staying thin was discovered way back in the 30s but has been suppressed all these decades by the evil pharmaceuticals making billions on all those diet pills and potions when all you really need to stay trim and sexy are tape worms. Now with no ill effects and easy to swallow ! At least they had the decency to sanitize them before selling them to the public.  

  

Retro Mixtape of Love – A Cassette Retrospective

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Ever find yourself getting upset that your current mp3 player can only hold 1200 songs or that the battery is only good for about three days on a single charge? I can’t say that I feel your pain. Reason is I grew up before we starting storing our songs on memory chips. Back in the 70s, 80s and better part of the 90s, society had to get by with the cassette tape.

This miracle that followed the 8-track and reel to reel concept allowed people to record their vinyl albums and put only the songs they really wanted all onto one handy, dandy portable medium just slightly larger than a cigarette pack. That was pretty tiny in those days. You could record up to 120 minutes of your favorite tunes on one single cassette. It allowed you to create the perfect blend of tunes to keep that party going or to offer up as a token of your love to that special someone with groovy titles like, “Midnight Love Mix Pt1” or “Fantasy Voyage of Love”.
With the proliferation of audio cassettes came the boom box craze that saw all kinds of spikes in battery usage and weird sights like the one below. All you needed to be cool in the 80s was a big ass radio. Well…. it was a good start.
Eventually the good folks at Sony realized that a personal sized cassette player would use less batteries, be easier to carry and be less of an annoyance in your daily commute. The Sony Walkman was born and ushered in a whole new category in the electronics stores – the personal music player. Since then the quest to go smaller and pack more music per square inch has never stopped and it changed not only how we listen to music but how it’s marketing, sold and distributed.
For a more detailed nostalgic look at the audio cassette in society, click the cool Walkman below:

Retro Super Bowl Ad Collection

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It’s Super Bowl time again and that can mean only one thing for some – salty snacks, meat, lots of booze and a huge helping of football being played for all the marbles. For others it simply means cool and innovative television ads interrupted by a bunch of guys chasing a ball on a field.

Regardless which side of the fence (field?) you’re on, you can’t deny the creative display put on each year during the Super Bowl which this year costs a whopping $3 Million U.S. per spot. Unbelievable. Companies are banking on the exposure the commercial receives and possible buzz it generates will hopefully translate into money well spent.


For a look back at the last 38 years of Super Bowl ads, click the picture of the smirking quarterback below to go to a site dedicated to showcasing some of the best television ads ever produced for Super Sunday. (Hate to say it but I think this guy will be smirking again this coming Sunday – sorry Saints, I’m rooting for you though!)

Rest In Peace SpaghettiOs Dude

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If you grew up in the late 60s, 70s and 80s you probably had SpaghettiOs. As you got older you probably made the switch to something more adult like Chunky soup. Both of these were developed by Donald Goerke while working for Franco American that eventually was bought by Campbells Soup.

You can’t help noticing that SpaghettiOs sound eerily similar to Cheerios. (Can you say ripoff?) I wish they’d carry this theme over to other food. Still waiting for BaconO’s or even PizzaO’s…….mmmmmm. I digress.

Sadly, Donald passed away last week and left behind a legacy of retro goodness in the form of two classic advertising catch phrases or slogans: “Uh – oh SpaghettiOs” and “Soup that eats like a meal!”

Modern Mothers Know Best

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In an earlier post, we saw how advertisers in the 50s dealt with the delicate subject of feminine hygiene. The fact that the product used for achieving the ultimate in feminine squeaky cleanliness was Lysol disinfectant, proved to be more disturbing than the ad itself.

In a similar ad, we now see how modern mothers of the 50s and 60s handled this delicate subject with their daughters.

Kind of rude I admit but that ad had nothing on the ad below that kind of illustrates what our 50s era modern mother was eluding to. Subtle like a brick to the side of the face. Yet another example of an ad designed and written by a man, sold by a man and bought by a man. Keep in mind – these are both real ads from back in the day.

Retro Ad of the Day – Coca Cola

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I’ve been in a bit of a football kick these last few days probably a reaction to my five week winning streak in fantasy football but it got me thinking of some classic commercials featuring football. Obviously the Superbowls have given us some classics in recent years but in my retro world only one sticks out as a true feel good classic.

Coca Cola did an ad in 1979 featuring all-Pro Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back “Mean” Joe Greene which became an instant classic. They actually remade the commercial for Super Bowl XLIII featuring current Pittsburgh Steeler defensive back Troy Polomalu that had a bit of a twist from the original. Here they are together – see if you spot the subtle differences.

Retro Ad of the Day – Apple Macintosh

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No matter what side of the fence you’re on in the PC /Apple battle, one thing you have to admit is that both Apple and Microsoft have always been great marketing rivals with campaigns being fought in battles of epic proportions matched only by the cola wars between Coke and Pepsi and possibly Spud McKenzie for Budweiser and Alex from Strohs……but I digress.

Back in 1984 when Apple launched their new Macintosh during the Superbowl, they hit the ground running with a commercial that took advantage of the whole George Orwell “1984” Big Brother controls you, you need to break free shtick along with a dose of healthy female athlete running without a sports bra angle. Well played Apple…….. well played.

The commercial served notice that they would be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come and the battle still wages on. Frankly I could care less and still do the PC thing and respect those that choose the Apple way of life. Wish I could say the same about Apple users though – lighten up already. I’m not ready to be converted so move on already. Life’s too short – don’t worry, be happy. Can’t we all just get along?


Bonus Video !! Wonder if Bill Gates wishes he could take these words back!