The More Things Change

September 19, 2006

I have a wonderful book given to me by a co-worker (thanks again, Don) called the Advertisers Cyclopedia of Selling Phrases, published in 1909 by the Economist Training School in New York.

It’s an enormous, four-inch thick book filled with treasures, such as:

“A multitude of millinery marvels. The climax of refined taste. Individuality striking and varied. Exquisite harmonies to be found nowhere else” (A.D. Matthews’ Store, Brooklyn, NY).

“The wicked stand in slippery places, but the wise man patronizes the Ogden Steam Laundry” (Ogden, Utah).

Which makes me wonder — back in the day, what did consumers think of advertising?

Did people actually believe they were doomed if they didn’t patronize the Ogden Steam Laundry? Somehow, I doubt it.

I’ve always envisioned that early advertising was more honest. I mean, there’s only far you can go without Photoshop.

Then again, a lot of money was made from snake oil. I saw The Illusionist the other night; clearly, the art of deception is nothing new.

I’m betting things might not have been so different. We still have advertising that relies on pretty words or pictures, such as A.D. Mathews’ Store. Fashion, perfume and jewelry advertising come to mind.

We still have advertising that suggests there might be something wrong with you if you don’t use the product or service in question.

If you use a PC instead of a Mac, you’re a loser. If you can’t remain upright for more than four hours, you’re inadequate.

And if, God forbid, you didn’t pop for OnStar in your new vehicle, you’d definitely be standing in slippery places, stranded there along with your sobbing, helpless, now traumatized-for-life young children and frail, elderly relatives.

Plus, some folks are still making money from snake oil – see www.breast-lift-enhancement.com.

Just because they didn’t have MP3s, DVDs, CDs, TVs, PSPs, Nintendo, Internet, digital video cameras or 8-track tape players, it doesn’t mean people back in the day were more stupid and gullible.

I mean, it’s hard to imagine that. Today, about 11 percent of Americans believe Elvis is still alive and a growing number believe the earth was created 6,000 years ago.

So I think it’s just the human condition (I love that term, as though just being human were a disease) — some of the people can be fooled some of the time, yesterday, today and probably tomorrow, in about the same proportions.

By Clara

Filed Under Advertising, Criticism

Comments

One Response to “The More Things Change”

  1. don on September 20th, 2006 11:14 am

    I think you\’re right:

    \”I’m betting things might not have been so different. We still have advertising that relies on pretty words or pictures, such as A.D. Mathews’ Store. Fashion, perfume and jewelry advertising come to mind.\”

    People are still sold by clever ideas; ideas that make them stop and think, or at least remember the message or the brand. The biggest differences between 1909 and today aren\’t the media, or the thechnology. I think the biggest difference is simply the differences in our culture between then and now. Back then, people spoke differently, and wrote differently. (Going back even further, think about the writings of Shakespeare\’s old English.) Today, we have words that were previously considered slang written into modern dictionaries. Language is a constantly evolving phenomenon. The advertising concepts and goals of 1909 are probably not much different than we have today; just a different language.

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