Television And Commercials That Inspired Generations
The 1950s were arguably the golden chronological age of television and most people of a certain age look back fondly at some of the shows of the time – “The Lone Ranger”, “I Love Lucy” and “Gunsmoke”. These shows were in monochrome and were watched on the set that got its signal from a huge antenna on the top, but they were loved likewise.
Nearly as compelling as the television shows themselves, were a few of the commercials of the time. Television was still a novelty throughout the 1950s and companies were anxious to profit from the new craze. Particularly popular were commercials for cigarettes, cars and advanced appliances. And also the average period of TV advertisements was around a minute – compared to the 30 seconds or less today.
You bet, Beer was also one of the products widely advertised on television throughout the 1950s. At first, it had been only late at night and never on a Sunday, so they wouldn’t offend anyone. During the early part of the decade, Blatz Beer became one of the beer industry’s biggest advertisers, partly due to the company’s sponsorship on the popular “Amos ‘n’ Andy” show.
Probably the most instantly recognizable characters in tv advertising and marketing at the time was Mabel. Mabel would be a chirpy blond waitress who appeared on the television’s screen with a tray of Carling Black Label beer. Nearly every Carling commercial featured the phrase that became famous – “Hey, Mabel, Black Label!”
Do you believe it? cigarette commercials were commonplace throughout the 1950s – a large change from television today. Some of the largest tobacco manufacturers of times spent a lot of money attempting to convince us that smoking was sophisticated and fun, including Lucky Strike, Tareyton and Winston.
One particular famous Lucky Strike ad featured an imaginative mixture of animation and live action, featuring the singer Gisele McKenzie. Tareytown had an advertisement that featured what seemed to be two children dancing around a huge pack of cigarettes. And who could possibly fail to remember the Fontane Sisters singing the praises of Chesterfield cigarettes?
At the same time, car manufacturers went to great lengths to advertise the latest models on tv throughout the 1950s despite the loss of aesthetic effect on the monochrome screen. The Ford Edsel was marketed at great length as the most beautiful convertible in the world, complete with such fantastic and innovative features as “teletouch” driving and air suspension.
It wasn’t all just cars, beer and tobacco. Several healthier products were advertised as well. One of the most popular ads of the era was for Pepsodent toothpaste. It ad featured an adorable cartoon couple kissing after having brushed their teeth, and also the catchy and memorable slogan – “You’ll wonder where the yellow went, whenever you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!”
Television advertisements for appliances pointed out features that we now always expect. A General Electric ad from that time for any new refrigerator consisted of the proud couple explaining the characteristics of the sleek new fridge which included shelves that slid out, space for storage behind the door along with a separate freezer compartment.
Plus some things don’t seem to have changed much through the years. Tupperware ran a series of TV ads throughout the 1950s which featured a thrilling Tupperware evening in a typical suburban home, organized with a “hostess”. Almost just as much emphasis was placed on the social aspect, as about the actual features of the product.
One of the most prolific TV advertisers throughout the 50s and subsequent decades was Pepsi. Their advertisements captured the feeling from the times like few others. Among the company’s earliest featured the actress and singer Polly Bergen enjoying a barn dance along with a refreshing glass of Pepsi-Cola.
To not be outdone, Coca-Cola was just as prolific using their ads and came up with several memorable slogans, for example “There’s nothing beats a Coke”. Coca-Cola also went after the young crowd, with an ad featuring people at diners and drive-in movie theaters along with a jingle that claimed “Zing! Such a feeling!”
Many television audiences firmly maintain how the commercials are just as good as the actual shows themselves! It seems as though which was particularly true back in the 1950s. And if you just cannot get enough of those old commercials, you can enjoy some of them on DVD or on the web.
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