Category: Advertising

Thomas Jefferson High School 1940

Sometimes the ads in the back of old yearbooks are just as interesting as the pics inside. This is a right fancy car for only $790. Looks like you could rear end the fellow in front of you and still not come close to smooshing your legs.

The yearbook included this cool image of the students inside a cave. Creepy!

Then there’s this too close for comfort wrestling team. 

En garde! Theater students have all the right moves. 

Antique Mall Stroll

Dr Pepper’s old ad campaign used to suggest drinking it during peak sugar- and energy-deficient moments during the day, at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm. Perhaps one could say a prayer thrice daily as well?

At least thank God for beer. No need to get all aboard the bottle itself. Quite a core workout, that.

War images were available as well. 

Y’all know how I feel about my Coke. 

This is cute, even to folks who aren’t sci-fi nerds.

In the words of Carrie Underwood, “I don’t smoke, but sometimes I need a long drag.” Or in this case, a long draw…

 

Sign O’ The Times

Nestled snug inside my August 1947 copy of National Geographic lies this interesting piece of art.

Isn’t it just fantastic? I love the split levels. As with many ads of yore, it contained many more words than we’d bother reading today. But this was 1947, and most folks didn’t own a TV. Reading was a way to pass the time. With no information highway, ads were the information.

Having never visited New York, or anywhere up north for that matter, I had no idea what an SRO sign was. Evidently, it’s a single-room-occupancy residence. So I learned something today! How ’bout them apples? However, I have seen pics of subways, and they don’t look like “bright, cheerful cars” to me. And as far as 7.8 million population, that’s another lesson in demographics. New York City only has 8.5 million residents today. Yes, it’s true that there were 7.8 back then, but it’s also true that by 1980, the population had actually reduced down to a straight 7 million. It wasn’t until the 1990s that it surpassed what it had been in 1947. I guess you can only shove so many marbles in a jar.

Talk About Transparency

http://www.ebaumsworld.com

Can you imagine if your convenience store broke down their costs like this? It might help explain as to why it’s $2.25 in one one spot and $2.59 a mile away.

 

I Can’t Wait Till Summer So Overdressed Older People Can Gawk At Me

Well, what do have we here? It seems as though Mom and Dad have just returned from Sunday services, and Margie (who surely attended as well) quickly changed into … why, YES, it IS a teenie, weenie, yellow polka-dot bikini (the song actually came out 10 years after this picture) and is testing the pool water. But doesn’t it seem odd that Dad hasn’t at least loosened his tie since returning home? Mom didn’t pause to take her gloves off and set them on the counter? It’s such a strange juxtaposition. Can’t her parents swim? Dad is either so full of pride at the amazing back dive Margie has in store or he’s stabilizing himself from holding that heavy camera. Come on, Margie! You can do it!

DeSoto: Like The Spanish Explorer, It Just Keeps Conquistadoring

LIFE 08-15-49

In actuality, the DeSoto stopped conquistadoring in 1961, due in large part to the 1958 recession, from which sales failed to recover. That year, DeSoto sales were 60 percent lower than those of 1957. In addition, Ford introduced a new mid-price competitor with the Edsel, which seemed intimidating at the time–but we all know became a symbol for an utter commercial failure. But long live the memory of the DeSoto!