Modern is not for everyone

Obviously, there are different strategies for reaching your target audience (or customer segment - more about that in a later blog). While there is definitely a substantial segment of the population that identifies with being modern, there is perhaps an even larger group that needs a different approach.

Mostly, advertisers use words and phrases such as 'old' [as in Old Grand-Dad, Old Forester, Old Crow, Antique (all bourbon), Old Dutch Cleanser], 'the way grandmother used to make it', 'Aunt Jemima', 'reliable', 'has been in use for two generations', 'since 1884',  etc.

This is mostly for products/companies that need a solid, reliable image, such as insurance companies and banks. You will also find it in household and food & drink advertising - perhaps because people are more drawn to food products that have been around for a long time, and have thus proven not to be dangerous.

It is rare to find it in automobile advertising, and I was surprised to come across an ad for National automobiles that actually addresses conservative people, see the illustration below.

National Motor Vehicle Company, Motor, May 1913

This ad is also quite indicative of the attitude towards women at the time, but we'll save that for another project :-). For now I'll just quote a few lines from the text:

The National is a "Button Car" that appeals to a woman

She touches one button and starts the motor. She touches another button to turn on the lights. ...Everything is immediately and safely under her control. Her gown, of coat or hands cannot come in contact with anything that can soil them.

[1] Modern Living series, for more info follow this link