The culture of conformity in 1950s America was very common. “World War II gave Americans an unprecedented era of affluence and research. Out of this came four new factors pressuring people to conform, and especially to spend more to keep the consumer economy growing: modern advertising, television, credit cards, and babies”(Chris Butler, 2007). Advertising had grown with industrial, consumer economies that emerged in the nineteenth century. As goods grew, they needed to find consumers to help buy the goods but after World War II it grew dramatically in the United States, though it suffered little damage from the war, there was only 60% of the world’s industrial capacity and needed to convince consumers to buy them. Advertising agencies had to hire psychologists using modern psychological techniques to convince consumers to subconsciously buy their products over virtually identical products. “One of the big pioneers in this field was Rosser, best known for his Anacin commercials that showed annoying animated images of hammers pounding and throbbing brains to get people to buy his product for their headaches”(Chris Butler, 2007). Most people didn't like his commercials but still went out and purchased the product. Television was a new dimension to these advertising techniques because it had mesmerized people with the dynamic images designed to sell the sponsors’ products. TV dinners became popular as watching TV because the favorite pastime. Buying all theses products had cost them more money than those that had saved it in cash. Eventually came the credit card which made it easier for people to purchase a new car or washing machine now and worrying about paying for it later along with an added interest charge. “Fins, roadside mot...
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...howrooms across the country. He had made radical changes from year to year. He had made style the distinctive feature of fins complemented by huge shiny chrome grills and ornaments. The design had sold their cars and gave customers an extra receipt for their money in forms of visible prestige making for expensive cars. He had a low and sleek look to them instead of a boxy look other designs favored.
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The early 1960s saw the expansion of television. The television had become a common household
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Television networks used these types of shows to protect themselves from any accusations that they were sending out “Communist messages”, but these shows subsequently influenced a generation into a new way of thinking and living. Families moved in rapid numbers to suburbia and wanted to be just like the Cleavers or the Andersons. The American public would never be the same, always reflecting on the perfection played out nightly on television and setting their goals to reach that level of traditionalism. The Hollywood Blacklisting that followed the Red Scare of the 1950’s forced the media to change in order to survive the scrutinizing committees of the HUAC and various congressional committees that pushed for the social “purging” of America in hopes of searching out the “Reds” which they believed were hiding among them. This change in media came at a time when the public had become extremely receptive to such influences due to the spread of the television and the growth of the middle class who had extra money to spend on luxuries such as going to the movie theatres.
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Advertising in the 50s was primarily focused on the return of traditional family values, and portraying the consumer’s role in society’s prestige. But, during the recession of 1959 to 1961, the time was ripe for some innovation in the advertising industry. Surly enough, a single ad appeared that changed the course of advertising history. The Volkswagen Beetle, a seemingly ugly car with all odds against it in the American market of huge, tail-finned vehicles of the 1950s, surprisingly prospered. The advertisement campaign broke all previous rules of using wide-angle photography, and beautiful women. These advertisements stole the American hearts with their wit and honesty.