Evolution of Advertising Tactics: 1880-1940

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During the period 1880-1940, as argued by Roland Marchand, advertisements began to take a different form in many ways. Automobile ads in the earlier years of this period attempted to appeal to rational decision-making with wordy and technical descriptions of the car’s features. However, as the era progressed advertisers attempted to target the emotional and impulsive nature of consumers by utilizing relatable pictures and vocabulary that appealed to the senses. Advertisers used these techniques in order to get potential customers to act of their impulses instead of their logic. The shift in advertising is clear after a careful comparison of the ads used in the early period versus the ads from 1915 and on. After taking a look at the ads in the early part of the period from 1880-1940, it is evident that the advertisers utilized techniques aimed towards provoking rational thinking. The advertisements were mostly highly technical descriptions …show more content…

Here is an excerpt from an ad by the J Walter Thompson Company, “Since the beginning of the year, in all of its advertising, the Thermoid Rudder Company has been posting a scientific chart which shows just how many feet, under average conditions, it should take to stop your car.” The Thermoid Rubber Company used visual representations of data to attempt to persuade viewers that their product was superior. Two ads further emphasis the form and function of advertising used in early part of this period. The two ads are the “Don’t Experiment; Just Buy a Ford” and “22 Horse Power” ads. After a thorough technical description of many of the features and specifications, both ads ask for the reader to send for a detailed description of the cars. The ads were used to persuade potential customers that the cars were high quality, safe, and effective. The companies were educating the public on the relatively new idea of

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