tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74156844298328411162024-03-13T22:44:16.610+01:00SROK AdsA very personal view on collecting vintage ads -
Een persoonlijke kijk op het verzamelen van reclame.SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-11855485272489186792020-02-10T18:44:00.001+01:002020-02-10T19:01:09.675+01:00Market segmentation and the Mentality modelFrom analysing the ads we found in our various corpora, it soon became obvious that not all 'modern' ads were targeting the same group of consumers.<br />
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In looking for a model that could help us further, we came across the Mentality model by <a href="https://www.motivaction.nl/mentality" target="_blank">Motivaction</a>, basically a psychographic market segmentation.<br />
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<i><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd"></span></span></i><br />
<blockquote>
<i><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">(Psychographic segmentation - as opposed to for instance demographic or geographic segmentation - involves dividing your market into segments based upon different personality traits, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles of consumers) </span></span></i></blockquote>
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It divides the consumers into 8 groups:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3i3c3vi5CXc/XkE600S3dhI/AAAAAAABMa0/eJoHzCvyhrky6k1g7i4bs8L88V5KSUs4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mentality-model-Motivaction-ENGELSEVERSIE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="850" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3i3c3vi5CXc/XkE600S3dhI/AAAAAAABMa0/eJoHzCvyhrky6k1g7i4bs8L88V5KSUs4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Mentality-model-Motivaction-ENGELSEVERSIE.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mentality model by Motivaction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As expected, ads with the word 'modern' appear in most categories in the middle of the model, but we think we have found some - especially car ads - that appeal to the 'new conservatives' (also called 'techno-progressives' in a private communication by a Motivaction researcher).<br />
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According to Motivaction's Mentality model, the new conservatives embrace technological change, while placing importance on traditional values, social status, and family.<br />
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An example of an ad that seems to be geared at this group is the 1929 Hupmobile ad we found:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z9XimdEmY4/XkFxToNO8vI/AAAAAAAAAKo/zlX4kaBFB_8ooa8Lw-czTyg8-P141t81ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Nieuwe%2Bconservatieven%2B%252B%2BModerne%2Bburgerij%2B-%2BHupmobile%2B1929-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z9XimdEmY4/XkFxToNO8vI/AAAAAAAAAKo/zlX4kaBFB_8ooa8Lw-czTyg8-P141t81ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Nieuwe%2Bconservatieven%2B%252B%2BModerne%2Bburgerij%2B-%2BHupmobile%2B1929-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hupmobile, 1929</span></div>
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This ad praises the Century Six and Century Eight Hupmobiles for their technological sophistication: their engines are as complex and 'streamlined' as modern aeroplane engines, and give the car 'smoothness, power, and flexibility'. However, it isn't all about technological innovation for its own sake. While the consumer is told that the high-tech engines of the Century Six and Eight allow the 'high-speed transport' that characterizes the twentieth century, the cars are also prominently advertised for offering the more traditional values of being 'safe and dependable', and for offering good value for money. In this way, the ad appeals to both sides of the 'new conservatives', with their interest in technological change and emphasis on tradition.<br />
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That ads for essentially the same product could also be geared at totally different groups is nicely illustrated by two silverware ads we found. In the Mentality model, the 'modern mainstream' are focused on finding a balance between traditional values and modern consumership. They are family-oriented, materialistic and attached to traditional gender roles. 'Social climbers', by contrast, are materialistic, place importance on social status, and are focused on consumption and entertainment.<br />
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The WMF ad shows a young couple who will be using the WMF silverware set in their future home. As such, it is clearly geared at the 'modern mainstream': couples and 'young people' ('<i>jonge mensen</i>')<i> </i>preparing for their mainstream family lives together. The 1881 Rogers ad, however, with its focus on Hollywood celebrities, is targeted at 'social climbers'. In contrast to the WMF advertisement, this ad presupposes a group of consumers who want to model themselves on Hollywood stars through the goods they purchase - in this case, the 'Hollywood Ensemble' silverware set.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7KT-U60bco/XkGNgOIhb1I/AAAAAAAAAK8/dGZOmzm_5SkMcUTlQnYQ0O8EIh3d-n3KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Opwaarts%2Bmobielen%2B-%2B1881%2BRogers%2BHollywood%2BEnsemble%2B1938-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1127" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b7KT-U60bco/XkGNgOIhb1I/AAAAAAAAAK8/dGZOmzm_5SkMcUTlQnYQ0O8EIh3d-n3KgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Opwaarts%2Bmobielen%2B-%2B1881%2BRogers%2BHollywood%2BEnsemble%2B1938-1.jpg" width="448" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
1881 Rogers, 1938. The text balloon on the bottom left says, 'For her own table,
ANITA LOUISE - now appearing "IN EVERY WOMAN'S LIFE", a Warner Bros.
Picture - has chosen this lovely silverware "Service of the Stars."</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gqSPZ91FKME/XkGNHZQlqyI/AAAAAAAAAK0/odTN7JMW91gEb-alV6pH0CiV9SaBICaBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Moderne%2Bburgerij%2B-%2BWMF%2Btafelzilver%2B1956-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gqSPZ91FKME/XkGNHZQlqyI/AAAAAAAAAK0/odTN7JMW91gEb-alV6pH0CiV9SaBICaBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Moderne%2Bburgerij%2B-%2BWMF%2Btafelzilver%2B1956-1.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WMF, 1956. The caption below the photograph reads 'this is the most beautiful modern silverware'. The headline above the photograph shows the young man lovingly telling his fiancée, 'I admire your good taste...'. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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Of course, we are using the Mentality model to categorize the ads <i>after the fact</i>. Advertisers at the time didn't design their ads with this specific model in mind and, therefore, mapping ads onto it isn't always easy to do. It is important to note, as well, that not all ads fit into this model. However, as a tool for gaining insight into which groups advertisers wished to target, it proves useful. For one thing, it shows that ads with the word 'modern' in them were not all geared at similar consumer audiences.<br />
<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-76143279496253011242020-02-09T10:44:00.002+01:002020-02-09T10:46:21.047+01:00Modern 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.<br />
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Mostly, advertisers use words and phrases such as '<i>old</i>' [as in Old Grand-Dad, Old Forester, Old Crow, Antique (all bourbon), Old Dutch Cleanser], '<i>the way grandmother used to make it</i>', '<i>Aunt Jemima</i>', '<i>reliable</i>', '<i>has been in use for two generations</i>', '<i>since 1884</i>', etc.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-6c7V_c1MU/Xj_TW3S7gZI/AAAAAAABMaQ/CcGR9tAjPGoMXWQizqXu3wDktWB0KekEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Small_National_Motor_May_1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-6c7V_c1MU/Xj_TW3S7gZI/AAAAAAABMaQ/CcGR9tAjPGoMXWQizqXu3wDktWB0KekEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Small_National_Motor_May_1913.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Motor Vehicle Company, Motor, May 1913</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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:<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>The National is a "Button Car" that appeals to a woman</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>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.</i></div>
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[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a><br />
<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-54490953253849448312020-01-28T21:18:00.003+01:002020-02-09T10:49:23.888+01:00Counting ads Before the Christmas holidays we had decided it was time for a more systematic approach to get a better feel of the percentage of "modern" ads within a well-defined set.<br />
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Up till then, our sources had been collections of ads or other ephemera, collected over many years by individuals. Their ways of "picking" items will always be biased in some way or other - some people limit their collection to items of a specific size, others by period, language etc. And since collecting is at least partly driven by emotions, some items are included in or left out of their collections without any rational explanation as to the reason why/why not. Within such collections we have found many great examples of the use of the word <i>modern</i>, but of course that is by no means an exhaustive search within a single corpus.<br />
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Therefor we decided to do a systematic search through entire volumes of magazines.<br />
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We requested many volumes from the Dutch Royal Library and spent quality time searching them page-by-page and did the same with a few bound volumes of <i>LIFE magazin</i>e from 1948 which I have in my own collection.<br />
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Below is a summary of what we found in the two LIFE volumes (JULY-AUG-SEP and OCT-NOV-DEC 1948).<br />
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Each volume contained 13 issues and each issue approximately 110 ads, making a total of approx. 2850 ads.<br />
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We found 36 ads containing the word 'modern', of which 2 ads occurred twice or more. This amounts to approximately 1.2% of the ads. Not a staggering number :-) <br />
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Of those 32 different ads, only 2 contained the word modern in the headline, 6 had the word in a sub-header (<i>by our definition a piece of text set in a different (larger) font/typeface to distinguish it from ordinary text)</i> and we counted the word 32 times in the text - 25 ads with a single occurrence and one ad with 7 (!) occurrences in the text (and also in the headline).<br />
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Headlines: <br />
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<ol>
<li>"<b>MODERN</b> RUGGED" [Bostonians (shoes)]</li>
<li>"U.S. KOYLON FOAM MAKES <b>MODERN</b> <b>LIVING</b> MORE COMFORTABLE" [U.S. Rubber] </li>
</ol>
Sub-headers:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>"With all this health and refreshment it's one of the biggest food values of <b>modern times</b>" [Florida Orange Juice]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern scientific</b> suds" [Swerl]</li>
<li>"... tire ... will ... <b>modernize</b> your car" [Goodyear]</li>
<li>"It's so new. It's so <b>modern</b>. It's so different" [Hotpoint] </li>
<li>"[gives] food energy - to sustain the pace of <b>modern living</b>" [bread]</li>
<li>"a ... utensil with these <b>modern features</b>" [Quaker Oats double boiler] </li>
</ol>
Text:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>"Truly <b>modern</b> motorcar <b>design</b>" [Stubaker]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> insurance" [American Fore]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> patterns" [Rogers Bros.]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> comfort" [Goodyear]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> sanitary protection" [Tampax]</li>
<li>"These fine, <b>modern</b>, medium-priced [camera's]" [Kodak]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> platform-type bed-springs" [Simmons bedsprings]</li>
<li>"A <b>modern</b>, absolutely accurate alarm clock" [General Electric]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern styling</b> in every line" [Royal typewriters]</li>
<li>"The world's most <b>modern</b> vacuum cleaner" [Lewyt]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern engineering</b>" [Lustron homes]</li>
<li>"These <b>ultra-modern</b> one-piece razors" [Gillette]</li>
<li value="17">"The last word in <b>modern living</b>" [Oldsmobile Futuramic]</li>
<li>"<b>Modern</b> case" [Sentinel clocks]</li>
<li>"The efficiency of the <b>modern</b> jeweller" [Watchmakers of Switzerland]</li>
<li>"No truly <b>modern</b> bathroom is is ever without Air-Wick" [Air-Wick]</li>
<li>"A <b>modern</b> electric kitchen clock" [Sentinel clocks]</li>
<li>"Chesterfield is building <u>another</u> factory - it's large, it's <b>modern</b> and ..." [Chesterfield cigarettes]</li>
<li>"Just these three easy steps ... when you use the <b>modern</b> Bruce method - standing up" [Bruce floor products]</li>
<li>"We've matched the <b>modern beauty</b> of this cabinet with the finest of electronic engineering" [RCA radio]</li>
<li>"Complete <b>modern</b> home entertainment in one console" [RCA Tv-radio-phonogram]</li>
</ol>
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We'll leave further analysis of these findings for another blog, but it seems that the word is mostly used purely for its dictionary meaning: <span class="sb-0"><span class="dt "><span class="dtText"><i>of, relating to, or characteristic of the present: <b>contemporary</b></i> or </span></span></span><span class="sb-0"><span class="dt "><span class="dtText"><span class="sb-0"><span class="dt "><span class="dtText">i<i>nvolving recent techniques, methods, or ideas<b>: up-to-date</b><b class="mw_t_bc"></b><a class="mw_t_sx" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/up-to-date"><span class="text-uppercase"></span></a></i>.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Only in a few instances (<b>modern living</b>, <b>modern times</b>, <b>modern design</b>) the ad seems to specifically target consumers who identify themselves with people living a modern life.<br />
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[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-17861126411726748872019-12-18T12:34:00.003+01:002019-12-18T12:35:19.487+01:00Modernize with MackBecause it seems that car ads are by far in the majority we decided to investigate that category some more and visited a collector with a very large (approx. 50.000) collection of car advertisements. The collection is not limited to ordinary cars, but includes truck, ambulances, fire engines and other utility vehicles and has ads from approx. 1890-1980.<br />
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With his help we found some very nice examples which helped fill some gaps: 2 very early ads (1901, 1905) and three later than 1979.<br />
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Again, we found support for our theory that there was a peak in the late 1920s, early 1930s and another peak in the 1950s.<br />
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We'll go into that some more in the article (due to appear on-line in February 2020), but for now I'd like to share some really nice Mack fire engine ads from 1947-1953.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxyV4kpm9q8/XfoOL11DTPI/AAAAAAABLvs/DE3vKf69ns4Hu0ttMhPxm0omzgYUG_YkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1947%2Bmack-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1600" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxyV4kpm9q8/XfoOL11DTPI/AAAAAAABLvs/DE3vKf69ns4Hu0ttMhPxm0omzgYUG_YkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1947%2Bmack-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWe5kuV_hpw/XfoOLh_ww7I/AAAAAAABLvo/P1qehvl-MmMabZZ81YKSYHQwnrPkOOwQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1953%2Bmack-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWe5kuV_hpw/XfoOLh_ww7I/AAAAAAABLvo/P1qehvl-MmMabZZ81YKSYHQwnrPkOOwQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/1953%2Bmack-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-56265410087567998852019-12-13T18:44:00.002+01:002019-12-18T12:21:10.742+01:00Modern pancakesOne of the more challenging subjects to be labeled as <i>modern </i>is food.<br />
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Modern potatoes? Modern vegetables? Modern eggs?<br />
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So far, the only examples we found refer to the <i>modern packagin</i>g used for the product or the <i>modern factory</i> where it's made.<br />
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Pillsbury in 1930 goes one step further and talks about their "modern pancakes".<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Breakfast should be good news as well as good food </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="goog_1839854392"></span><span id="goog_1839854393"></span>try this <span style="color: red;">modern</span> kind of pancake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ntjcVxQo8k/XfPMLS2A1VI/AAAAAAABLs0/qQPgYw2isVwmH9BtNv5fTC_XchXYw5iYQCEwYBhgL/s1600/ModernPancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ntjcVxQo8k/XfPMLS2A1VI/AAAAAAABLs0/qQPgYw2isVwmH9BtNv5fTC_XchXYw5iYQCEwYBhgL/s320/ModernPancakes.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pillsbury Pancake Flour, SEP April 19, 1930</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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"Pillsbury made a discovery - Pillbury's Pancake Flour contains a new kind of flour, unusually soft, fine and delicate. It makes lighter pancakes, more tender, more delicious, <span style="color: blue;">easy to digest</span>. Much better than the old-fashioned kind - truly <i>modern </i>pancakes."<br />
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Earlier in the text the ad stresses the importance of 'good health, <span style="color: blue;">good digestion</span>', hence a pancake that is easy to digest must be good for you. Pepsi Cola uses a similar strategy in their series of ads from the 1950's where Pepsi is praised as a "modern, <span style="color: blue;">light </span>refreshment". More about this in another blogpost. <br />
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[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a><br />
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SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-71236186312797838972019-11-20T17:49:00.003+01:002019-12-18T12:21:32.551+01:00A first inventory of products that are labeled 'modern'Although our corpus is still very small (see the second last post), we can already see a pattern emerging. A quick tally shows the following results (in no particular order)<br />
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<ul>
<li>washing machines -2</li>
<li><b>cars - 76</b> (of which 18 in the series "Be Modern - Buy Chrysler" and 7 in "Modern living" series by Lincoln)</li>
<li>toothbrushes - 1</li>
<li>cookers/ranges - 1</li>
<li>silverware/flatware - 4</li>
<li><b>fashion - 9</b></li>
<li>car parts or accessories, motor oil -2</li>
<li>furniture - 1</li>
<li>Elsie, the Borden cow ("Women are much more modern than men") - 1</li>
<li>cookware -3</li>
<li>tableware, glasses - 3</li>
<li>flooring - 1</li>
<li>ships, aeroplanes, transport - 3</li>
<li>cosmetics - 3</li>
<li>personnel ads - 1 ("healthy work for modern women")</li>
<li>food - 3 ("modern packaging") </li>
<li>beverages - 1</li>
<li>cigarettes -2</li>
<li>bathrooms - 1</li>
<li>soap - 1</li>
<li>refrigerators - 1</li>
<li>radiators, heaters - 2</li>
<li>hardware - 1</li>
<li>lamps - 1</li>
<li>cleaning - 1</li>
<li>packaging (cellophane) - 1</li>
<li>beer - 1</li>
<li>radio - 1</li>
<li>sewing machines - 6 (5 of which a series by Singer)</li>
<li>curtains - 1</li>
<li>detergent - 1</li>
<li>professional coffee machines - 1</li>
</ul>
<br />
As you can see, most products occur only once or twice, and often it is not the product that is labeled 'modern', but the packaging (cellophane) or the potential buyers ("modern people buy beer").<br />
<br />
Cars and fashion are the top runners, followed by small household items such as cookware, flatware etc.<br />
<br />
Our source material may have been slightly biased towards cars, but not enough to explain the 76 - 61 ratio of cars versus all other products.<br />
<br />
Obvious categories that are completely missing are insurance, banking, telecommunications, computers(!) - apparently there's no such thing as a "modern computer" :-)<br />
<br />
Food and beverages are a difficult category, because how can you label a food as "modern"?<br />
<br />
'Modern people eat potatoes' or 'A modern potato for today's healthy dinner' - it just doen't sound right.<br />
<br />
When I started collecting, I used very broad categories to store my collection:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Food, drink and smoking</li>
<li>Transport </li>
<li>Health and body</li>
<li>Fashion</li>
<li>In and around the house</li>
<li>Everything else</li>
</ol>
If we add the numbers first list by these groups, we get the following results:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li> 6</li>
<li> 78</li>
<li> 6</li>
<li> 9</li>
<li> 30</li>
<li> 3</li>
</ol>
We will examine the ads more closely to try and find an explanation for the higher number in group 5 (<i>In and around the house</i>) - I'm guessing it has something to do with products that are very visible to the people that use them and the people we entertain in our homes. After all, what's the use of being modern if other people can't tell that we are?<br />
<br />
<br />
[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-77935065281732552052019-10-16T10:27:00.003+02:002019-10-16T10:27:56.158+02:00Modern Old Dutch CleanserHow do you work the word <i>modern </i>into advertising for a product with the name "<b><u>Old</u> Dutch Cleanser</b>"?<br />
<br />
The answer is simple, and very clever indeed: by not concentrating on the product - something cannot be both <i>old</i> and <i>modern </i>at the same time, but by focusing on the packaging instead: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTJ_8Ab0-PU/XabQ-D05JqI/AAAAAAABLB4/9_7njhbcI5gUHCOeiUoWc_bjnoCQlcqLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ODC%252C1939.jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1291" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTJ_8Ab0-PU/XabQ-D05JqI/AAAAAAABLB4/9_7njhbcI5gUHCOeiUoWc_bjnoCQlcqLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ODC%252C1939.jpeg.jpeg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Dutch Cleanser, Saturday Evening Post, 1939</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Or, like they did the year before, by focusing on the buyer: <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D37reIwbRT4/XabQ9-VRX0I/AAAAAAABLB0/EBjccd6CHLwCgc3dcR7DEH9h-SmQEYRcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ODC%252CSaturdayEveningPost%252C1938.jpeg.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1498" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D37reIwbRT4/XabQ9-VRX0I/AAAAAAABLB0/EBjccd6CHLwCgc3dcR7DEH9h-SmQEYRcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ODC%252CSaturdayEveningPost%252C1938.jpeg.jpeg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Dutch Cleanser,1938</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
A very clever bit of advertising ...<br />
<br />
<br />
[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-34700425698339865672019-09-17T14:23:00.004+02:002019-09-17T14:43:37.503+02:00Some preliminary statisticsOne of the first things to tackle in this project [1] was finding suitable source material, which meant finding one or more large enough collections to ensure that what we found was not (or at least not terribly) biased towards one result or another.<br />
<br />
My own collection (approx. 100-150.000 ads) provides a rich starting point, but is slightly biased. I've collected ads that I found to be unusual, beautiful or interesting either from a marketing or from a historic/documentary point of view, which means that there are MILLIONS of ads that I have seen, but not kept. Among those there could have been many that contained the word "modern". <br />
<br />
Using Google to search the internet has the same problems as an ordinary Google search - the search algorithm will show you the sites with the <i>highest ranking</i>, not necessarily the best sites. However, if you know what you're looking for, a Google search is a wonderful tool to find extra examples, illustrations etc. <br />
<br />
I decided to start by looking at what I found during my regular work as dealer; every new pile of magazines purchased is basically "new raw material", so while harvesting and sorting the ads I put everything relating to "modern" aside, even the ads that I did not find collectable or commercially valuable. This ensured a fairly random random first search which I hoped would provide us with enough material for more specific searches later on in the project. <br />
<br />
After I while I had found 109 different ads (and the number keeps growing weekly, sometimes daily). The sample is to small to be statistically reliable, but gives a good first impression.<br />
<br />
As first attempt at classification we put them in chronological order and counted the occurrences per decade. Below is a graph showing the results.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q6KQNUy00s/XYDAYkF86uI/AAAAAAABKy4/Drruh1Xz-6U4iDZMijO3ThZdqz1DxKingCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ads-statistics1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="493" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q6KQNUy00s/XYDAYkF86uI/AAAAAAABKy4/Drruh1Xz-6U4iDZMijO3ThZdqz1DxKingCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ads-statistics1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Occurrence of the word "modern" in advertising per decade. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We see confirmed what we thought at the start of the project: a peak in the 1930s and a second peak in the 1950s. So far we weren't able to find any "modern" ads from the 1980s and upwards [which doesn't mean they don't exist :-) ]<br />
<br />
The sudden decline in the 1940s is most likely due to the Second World War and its aftermath, during which period society had other things on its mind than being modern.<br />
<br />
In another post we'll go into the different products/product groups that were advertised as modern. <br />
<br />
---<br />
[1] <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-90407690002653426462019-08-25T09:12:00.001+02:002019-08-25T09:14:52.169+02:00Jazz and modern smoking<span style="font-size: x-small;">(this post is part of our <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dutch magazine ad from 1939; connecting <i>jazz</i>, <i>modern </i>and <i>American. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not only is the cigarette brand presented as modern, it's a "<b>modern American</b>" cigarette. Stressing the fact that this is an imported cigarette is quite unusual in the 1930s in the Netherlands as only a few years earlier (1933) a government funded campaign was launched to promote buying Dutch products. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">More about the connection between jazz and smoking later, for now I just want to share the picture, which I think is quite striking in it's use of colour. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-muMzFfNOxHc/XWIzdXAAUTI/AAAAAAABKek/VGVrmeFnqhoVDFVke_BfLxTMF-33bHssgCLcBGAs/s1600/Jazz%252CPanorama%252C10-8-1939%252C800x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="701" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-muMzFfNOxHc/XWIzdXAAUTI/AAAAAAABKek/VGVrmeFnqhoVDFVke_BfLxTMF-33bHssgCLcBGAs/s400/Jazz%252CPanorama%252C10-8-1939%252C800x600.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jazz cigarettes, Panorama, Aug 10, 1939</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> P.S. I cannot find any information about this particular brand - any and all information is welcome. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-72999891765897465162019-08-12T20:35:00.001+02:002019-08-17T08:32:56.499+02:00World's most modern motor car!<span style="font-size: x-small;">(this post is part of our <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtUbJ_REFAk/XVGuki6LF7I/AAAAAAABKWE/SRNbq734hu0GkwRBYU21kCbHVmMLNkshgCLcBGAs/s1600/Chrysler%252CSEP%252C8-12-1956.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1243" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtUbJ_REFAk/XVGuki6LF7I/AAAAAAABKWE/SRNbq734hu0GkwRBYU21kCbHVmMLNkshgCLcBGAs/s640/Chrysler%252CSEP%252C8-12-1956.jpeg" width="496" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chrysler, Saturday Evening Post, Dec 8, 1956</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The headline under the drawing of the car speaks for itself :-) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The emphasis is on technical improvements: a new suspension system, new transmission, smaller wheels with bigger - and low-pressure - tires. Luckily there are also "<i>exquisite new appointments and interior conveniences [that] will delight a lady's heart</i>". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">This ad supports our preliminary findings that there is a peak in the occurrence of the word 'modern' in the 1930s and 1950s. But we will have to do more research to substantiate that claim and will get back to that later this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-36663998746863869252019-08-11T13:19:00.000+02:002019-08-11T17:22:31.999+02:00Lucky Strike<span style="font-size: x-small;">(this post is part of our <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>)</span><br />
<br />
We found a Dutch Lucky Strike ad from 1932, in which the use of "<u>modern</u> Ultra Violet Rays" in the toasting process was specifically mentioned (<span style="font-size: x-small;">the highlighting of the word in the picture below is done by me</span>) and the words "Ultra Violette Stralen" were given a very prominent place in the text, thereby focusing on the modern scientific nature of the process.<br />
<br />
Another 'unique selling point' for this ad is explained in the heading "<i>Versch uit Amerika</i>", which translates to "<i>Fresh from America</i>". In Dutch too, "vers" (versch is old spelling) has the double meaning of "not stale" and "new". <br />
<br />
Interestingly, in the American version(s) of the ad campaign, the word <i>modern</i> does NOT appear, instead, the focus is on the analogy with the sun:<br />
<br />
"<i>Everyone knows that sunshine mellows, that's why the 'TOASTING' process includes the use of the Ultra Violet Rays</i>"<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RaRXEcQPlQ/XU_3z-1CEmI/AAAAAAABKVY/IH4kSIkDuRoWCGYUWG_E2kiPBKAZmkcdQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lucky%2BStrike%2BHaagsche%2BCourant%2B1932-bewerkt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1514" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RaRXEcQPlQ/XU_3z-1CEmI/AAAAAAABKVY/IH4kSIkDuRoWCGYUWG_E2kiPBKAZmkcdQCLcBGAs/s400/Lucky%2BStrike%2BHaagsche%2BCourant%2B1932-bewerkt.jpg" width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucky Strike, Haagsche Courant, Jan 23, 1932</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
Examples of the American ad campaign can easily be found on Google by searching "<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=lucky+strike+sunshine+mellows+ad+campaign&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPhYza2PrjAhWKqaQKHcOACXUQsAR6BAgHEAE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lucky Strike Sunshine Mellows ad campaign</a>".SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-27278841306506271502019-08-11T12:14:00.001+02:002019-08-11T17:19:17.669+02:00The Ford V-8<span style="font-size: x-small;">(this post is part of our <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpxFOjKgomk/XU_qawP1gAI/AAAAAAAAAHY/T8cjrJC7yfounpP1DNn3ZkvdsOrlObMRQCLcBGAs/s1600/Ford%2B1934.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpxFOjKgomk/XU_qawP1gAI/AAAAAAAAAHY/T8cjrJC7yfounpP1DNn3ZkvdsOrlObMRQCLcBGAs/s640/Ford%2B1934.jpeg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ford V-8, [<i>Fortune</i>?], 1934</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>As we've found in our research, the word "modern" in advertisements can mean many things.<br />
<br />
What makes the new Ford V-8 for 1934 "Distinctly Modern"? According to the text, its beauty, comfort, speed, economy and safety: it "leads the line in design" (beauty), has an "exceptionally smooth performance" (comfort), has "quicker acceleration" (speed), has "more miles per gallon" (economy), and offers "Great security in driving because of the all-steel body and safety glass" (safety).<br />
<br />
When Henry Luce founded <i>Fortune</i>, he envisioned a magazine that was targeted at "wealthy and influential people". Its "Purpose" (Luce capitalized the word) was: "To reflect Industrial Life in ink and paper and word and picture, as the finest skyscraper reflects it in stone and steel and architectural design" (<a href="https://fortune.com/1929/09/01/fortune-prospectus-september-1929-volume-one-number-zero/" target="_blank">letter</a> to advertisers by Luce, included in vol. 1, no. 0 of <i>Fortune</i>, September 1929). The Ford ad, with its sleek car, elegantly dressed woman, and confidence-inspiring text, seems to fit the mission of the magazine and Luce's (modern) industrial vision perfectly.Saskia Bultmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038190979104876694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-49551384830692613022019-08-11T12:09:00.000+02:002019-08-11T16:56:45.123+02:00Miner's modern cosmetics <span style="font-size: x-small;">(this post is part of our <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Modern Living</a> series, for more info follow this <a href="http://srokads.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-way-to-modern-living.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">link</a>)</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sH4M-HuF6fg/XU_pJglIcBI/AAAAAAAAAHI/782H_Yaoq5U2btcUUEHQx4sFt_dfUAqDgCLcBGAs/s1600/Miner%2527s%2BPicturegoer%2B1957.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1219" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sH4M-HuF6fg/XU_pJglIcBI/AAAAAAAAAHI/782H_Yaoq5U2btcUUEHQx4sFt_dfUAqDgCLcBGAs/s640/Miner%2527s%2BPicturegoer%2B1957.jpeg" width="483" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miner's "top-ten" cosmetics, <i>Picturegoer</i>, December 7, 1957</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This Miner's cosmetics ad from 1957 we found taps into "modern" English youth culture to advertise its products.<br />
<br />
The brand presents itself as with-it through making lots of references to music: Miner's "top-ten" cosmetics offer a "hit parade" of beauty products, you'll be "right on the beat" (a reference to 1950s beat music) with their "beauty aids", and Miner's Super-Stay lipstick is a "top hit" that is available in "pop colours".<br />
<br />
According to the text, Miner's is "as modern as tomorrow's mood". Buy it, the ad suggests, and you'll be dancing and flirting at the dance hall, dressed in "<i>your </i>style, <i>your</i> colours" - like a truly modern girl. Saskia Bultmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038190979104876694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-31515896139441839002019-08-11T09:12:00.000+02:002019-08-11T09:12:05.694+02:00The way to Modern LivingThe next couple of months we will be posting blogs about a new project that my daughter Saskia and I have started this year.<br />
<br />
For a long time we had been wanting to do something together involving advertising and in 2018 we sent in our application to the <i><a href="http://www.ephemerasociety.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ephemera Society of America</a></i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: "helvetica"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span>(ESA) for the <a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/06636190301/25f808fc-6a49-4026-943e-cf9934bb4b3b.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Philip Jones Fellowship for the</i></a><i><a href="https://files.constantcontact.com/06636190301/25f808fc-6a49-4026-943e-cf9934bb4b3b.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Study of Ephemera</a>. </i><br />
<br />
Our idea was to investigate the use of the word '<b>Modern</b>' in advertising. Some of the questions we wanted to answer were:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>How and when is the word used? </li>
<li>Is it used in specific industries (automotive, apparel) only or do you find it in advertising for all sorts of products? </li>
<li>Is it more common in certain periods? </li>
<li>Is the word targeting a specific consumer demographic? </li>
<li>Who labels the products as 'modern'? Is it the advertiser who first labels the product as modern? Or are products already perceived as modern by the consumer and are advertisers simply using the word in their advertising to confirm that status? </li>
<li>Are there advertisers labeling their products as modern to boost sales while the product does not really deserve the label 'modern'?</li>
</ul>
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We were very happy to receive the news earlier this year that we had won the competition and enthusiastically started searching for examples, using my own collection of advertisements as a starting point. <br />
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The project will result in a digital paper, to be published online in early 2020. Naturally, it will be profusely illustrated.<br />
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In this blog we will post a series of three short essays with the results of our research, interspersed with shorter entries containing scans of interesting ads.<br />
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Keep following this page for updates !<br />
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For more information on the ESA and the Philip Jones Fellowship, please refer to the links above; the ESA also has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EphemeraSociety/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-79425248509531304162019-07-30T19:22:00.000+02:002019-07-30T19:26:06.943+02:00OK, de datum uit de vorige post hebben we dus niet gehaald. <br />
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Maar we zijn wel bezig met een interessant nieuw project, over het gebruik van het woord "MODERN" in de reclame.<br />
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Stay tuned for more info !<br />
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P.S. Voor een preview van de nieuwe website ga naar <a href="https://www.srokads.nl/" target="_blank">srokads.nl.</a><br />
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-35318135148862995452018-10-20T08:42:00.000+02:002018-10-20T08:42:01.966+02:00Zodra onze volledig vernieuwde webshop"in de lucht" is, zullen we ook weer regelmatig posten op dit blog.<br />
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We streven naar medio November !<br />
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-87406266472514340022016-03-16T09:15:00.004+01:002016-03-16T11:50:35.368+01:00l'histoire se répèteWe geven geen prijzen voor het juiste antwoord, maar zijn wel benieuwd of iemand het jaartal waarin deze advertentie gepubliceerd is, kan raden.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LDsILBrS_gE/VukWBtSC1jI/AAAAAAAA9bc/MwifeW-hMhU5LGV5_Ocb4863SaIkBwLfQ/s1600/SIRE-Buitenlanders%252Cmargriet%2B29-11-1974%252C500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LDsILBrS_gE/VukWBtSC1jI/AAAAAAAA9bc/MwifeW-hMhU5LGV5_Ocb4863SaIkBwLfQ/s1600/SIRE-Buitenlanders%252Cmargriet%2B29-11-1974%252C500px.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-20901827463193772392015-07-07T12:47:00.001+02:002015-07-07T12:47:16.528+02:00Veranderende taalTaal verandert, en met name de betekenis van woorden wil in de loop der jaren nog wel eens wijzigen. Uiteraard is in het Engels de betekenis van 'gay' nogal ingrijpend gewijzigd en men ziet het woord dan ook niet langer in advertenties gebruikt worden. Maar ook in het Nederlands zijn voorbeelden te vinden, zie de advertentie hieronder. Toelichting is denk ik niet nodig ... :-)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iavFdpYo3xE/VZut7TzqpbI/AAAAAAAAvfo/31I5P-m_5TM/s1600/VanDenBrink%252CMutsen%252CHC%252C15-11-1962%252C500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iavFdpYo3xE/VZut7TzqpbI/AAAAAAAAvfo/31I5P-m_5TM/s1600/VanDenBrink%252CMutsen%252CHC%252C15-11-1962%252C500px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van den Brink, Haagsche Courant 15 november 1962</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-32990582950667633582015-06-01T13:45:00.001+02:002015-06-01T13:45:08.363+02:00Melk inhaker <div>
(Voor recente inhakers in de reclame zie <a href="https://www.facebook.com/versereclame" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Verse Reclame</a> )</div>
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Ook in het verleden kwamen directe inhakers voor, met name bij overwinningen in de sport. Soms duurde het even voordat de reclamemakers ergens op inhaken, zo is het <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fietsdeelsysteem" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Witte Fietsen Plan</a> van <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Provo </a>uit Augustus <b>1965</b>, terwijl de onderstaande advertentie voor melk pas in September <b>1966</b> in de Libelle kwam te staan, ruim een jaar later. Wellicht dat het even duurde voordat de Witte Fietsen populair genoeg waren om door te dringen in de rclame? <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWnn8gctuCM/VWxFdtYUKHI/AAAAAAAAtsU/fhbJq3IjkVo/s1600/Melk%252CWitteFietsenPlan%252CLibelle%252C10-9-1966%252C500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWnn8gctuCM/VWxFdtYUKHI/AAAAAAAAtsU/fhbJq3IjkVo/s1600/Melk%252CWitteFietsenPlan%252CLibelle%252C10-9-1966%252C500px.jpg" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reclame voor Melk, Libelle 10-9-1966</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-33699914247328733832014-12-10T13:54:00.003+01:002014-12-10T19:43:56.290+01:00Inhakers in de reclame (1961)<div multilinks-noscroll="true">
Voor recente inhakers in de reclame blijft <a href="https://www.facebook.com/versereclame" multilinks-noscroll="true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Verse Reclame</a> erg leuk om te volgen. </div>
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Maar uiteraard kwam het verschijnsel vroeger ook voor. Hieronder een leuk voorbeeld uit <b>1961</b> van Lexington, dat inhaakt op de nieuwe verkeerswetgeving m.b.t. zebrapaden. De knipperbolpalen gingen per 1 november uit dienst, omdat vanaf die datum
voetgangers onder vrijwel alle omstandigheden op zebrapaden dezelfde
bescherming kregen als met de knipperbollen. De advertentie is verschenen op 24 november, dus niet razend snel, maar toch een echte inhaker.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECPj7ArmfaY/VIhB6RztUwI/AAAAAAAAk-s/FFjF_i-3pzw/s1600/Lexinton%2Czebrapad-inhaker%2CLC%2C24-11-1961%2C450px.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECPj7ArmfaY/VIhB6RztUwI/AAAAAAAAk-s/FFjF_i-3pzw/s1600/Lexinton%2Czebrapad-inhaker%2CLC%2C24-11-1961%2C450px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexington, Leeuwarder Courant, 24-11-1961</td></tr>
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SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-75512420877379869782014-10-22T16:19:00.003+02:002014-10-22T16:19:42.831+02:00Economic boycot RussiaHet is een cliché dat men moet proberen te vermijden, maar soms is er echt "<i>niets nieuws onder de zon</i>" zoals het artikeltje hieronder weer eens laat zien.<br />
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<b>Rusland</b>, <b>economische boycot</b>, <b>handel- en industriebelangen</b> die geschaad worden, het zou ook vandaag in de krant hebben kunnen staan, met dien verstande dat de rollen omgedraaid waren in 1935: toen was het Rusland die de economische boycot begon.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd9gYg5rXP8/VEe80FWysKI/AAAAAAAAi3Q/w60klj63LkI/s1600/IsRuslandBoos%2CDeTijd15-2-1935.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yd9gYg5rXP8/VEe80FWysKI/AAAAAAAAi3Q/w60klj63LkI/s1600/IsRuslandBoos%2CDeTijd15-2-1935.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">De Tijd, 15 februari 1935</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-55926540499998449412014-09-16T08:24:00.000+02:002014-09-16T09:11:14.715+02:00Chess in advertisingGisteren begonnen met het netjes sorteren/rubriceren van de map "Schaken".<br />
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Eerst maar eens uitdunnen, d.w.z. de dubbele eruit - daar zijn uiteraard veel manier voor, alfabetisch sorteren op merk is er één van,maar ditmaal had ik gekozen voor eerst grof sorteren op formaat (groter of kleiner dan A4), kleur of zwart-wit, hele of halve pagina. Tijdens dit proces meteen een apart stapeltje gemaakt voor "magazine covers" en knipsels waar op de een of andere manier opeens een schaakbord in opduikt (terwijl het artikel bijvoorbeeld over het breien van een jongenstrui gaat). Daarnaast meteen even de "echte" schaakadvertenties eruit gefilters (dus waarin schaakspellen of schaakcomputers te koop worden aangeboden, daarvan is het logisch dat er een schaakbord op te zien is). Dat levert al snel resultaten op, zo bleken mijn Grolsch en Hero schaak-advertenties wel heel vaak in de map te zitten.<br />
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Na uitdunnen komt dan het leukste gedeelte, het rubriceren.<br />
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Als eerste indeling advertenties met :<br />
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<ol>
<li>alleen één of meer schaakstukken (dus geen schaakbord)</li>
<li>met een deel van een schaakbord (bijna altijd een hoek)</li>
<li>met een volledig schaakspel, zijaanzicht </li>
<li>met een volledig schaakspel, bovenaanzicht zodat de opstelling zichtbaar is </li>
<li>een volledig bord, maar met fantasie schaakstukken (zie illustratie) of met het verkeerde aantal velden - zie ook de illustratie :-) </li>
</ol>
Iemand vertelde mij laatst dat hij zichtbare opstellingen controleerde op juistheid (dus of het een mogelijke opstelling was - bij beginopstellingen is dat goed te doen, maar naarmate het spel vordert zijn er enorm veel mogelijke opstellingen en waarschijnlijk evenveel of meer die nooit te bereiken zijn door een opeenvolging van toegestante zetten, zie o.a iemand die dezelfde vraag stelt op <a href="http://mathoverflow.net/questions/138133/what-proportion-of-chess-positions-that-one-can-set-up-on-the-board-using-a-leg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mathoverflow.net</a> en het artikel op <a href="http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Chess.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wolfram</a> dat wat getallen noemt).<br />
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Een andere indeling is op basis van de rol die het schaakspel speelt in de advertentie:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Als illustratie bij de tekst "The right move ...", "Your next move ...", "Vader's juiste zet", etc. </li>
<li>Als illustratie met de impliciete connotatie "hier gebeurt iets intellectueels" </li>
<li>Als bladvulling (bij meubelfabrikanten staat er vaak een schaakspel op de salontafel, waar dat net zo goed een bloemenvaas had kunnen zijn). </li>
</ol>
Veel meer opvallende zaken ben ik nog niet tegengekomen, dus "<i>wordt vervolgd</i>".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duWSJqR80hI/VBfXUqQjMtI/AAAAAAAAdQY/Snz6GX9g2Ko/s1600/Rochas%2C1997%2C500pxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-duWSJqR80hI/VBfXUqQjMtI/AAAAAAAAdQY/Snz6GX9g2Ko/s1600/Rochas%2C1997%2C500pxi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rochas, advertentie uit Nederlandse glossy, 1997</td></tr>
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(overigens hanteer ik zelf voor mijn beeldarchief vaak nog een indeling in mooi/er-is-over-nagedacht vs. triviaal/gemakzuchtig)<br />
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P.S. Zag bij het terug/insteken van de advertenties in de map dat ik een belangrijke indeling over het hoofd gezien had: de spelers !<br />
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<ol>
<li>Twee mannen (en dan in het bijzonder vader-zoon)</li>
<li>Man-vrouw</li>
<li>Man alleen</li>
<li>Vrouw alleen</li>
<li>Kinderen</li>
<li>Geen spelers </li>
</ol>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-62914434108726669932014-09-08T15:52:00.002+02:002014-09-08T15:56:03.902+02:00Yezidi'sNegenennegentig procent van mijn reclame verzameling komt uit kranten en tijdschriften en met name de publiekstijdschriften geven vaak een leuk doorkijkje naar het dagelijks leven en wat de mensen bezighield.<br />
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Zo was het in vooroorlogse familietijdschriften heel gebruikelijk om rapportages (en soms ook gewoon losse fotootjes met nauwelijks een bijschrift) te publiceren over "<i>exotische</i>" landen en volkeren. Overigens geven die artikelen niet alleen een aardig beeld van de "<i>natuurvolkeren</i>" maar ook van de manier waarop er in het Westen over deze mensen gedacht en gesproken werd.<br />
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Zo kwam ik vandaag tot mijn verbazing een paginagrote foto tegen van een Yeridi (<i>zetfout of andere manier van uitspreken/transcriberen van de naam, geen idee</i>) bijna exact <b>77</b> jaar geleden verschenen op de achterpagina van de Panorama. Overigens helaas zonder enig begeleidend artikel, het zou interessant zijn te lezen hoe men toen over dit volk dacht. Maar in het bijschrift van de foto weer men toch heel aardig een sensationeel beeld op te roepen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9HO7vXKdOmk/VA21KSqGUvI/AAAAAAAAcYo/Y1YA082Q41A/s1600/Yeridis-Yezidis-Panorama-12-08-1937%2C500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9HO7vXKdOmk/VA21KSqGUvI/AAAAAAAAcYo/Y1YA082Q41A/s1600/Yeridis-Yezidis-Panorama-12-08-1937%2C500px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Een hoofdman der Yeridi's, de duivelaanbidders van Irak (Panorama, 27-8-1937)</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-1830670758647153602014-06-16T16:15:00.002+02:002014-06-16T18:11:33.205+02:00Het moordende tempo van de moderne samenlevingIedereen(?) verzucht het wel eens: altijd druk, druk, druk, nooit ergens tijd voor, geen moment voor jezelf (of voor Moccona) ...<br />
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En altijd denkt men dat het een recente ontwikkeling is, dat het vroeger allemaal wat rustiger was - dat blijkt een misvatting. Vandaag een voorbeeld van ruim 64 jaar geleden, waarin men ook al klaagt over de snelheid van het moderne leven:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftMH1AWH-dg/U577eK7-O9I/AAAAAAAAXpU/7nL9u7Yoscs/s1600/King-TempoTempo,EW,1-4-1950,500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ftMH1AWH-dg/U577eK7-O9I/AAAAAAAAXpU/7nL9u7Yoscs/s1600/King-TempoTempo,EW,1-4-1950,500px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King, Elseviers Weekblad, 1 april 1950</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7415684429832841116.post-25575766524024657572014-06-03T10:01:00.000+02:002014-06-03T10:01:20.594+02:00Tall girlsDe advertentie van vandaag levert onomstotelijk bewijs dat vrouwen in de jaren 20 van de vorige eeuw beduidend langer waren dan tegenwoordig. Wat de oorzaak is van de krimp, is onbekend. <br />
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(Nice dress, BTW)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody multilinks-noscroll="true">
<tr multilinks-noscroll="true"><td multilinks-noscroll="true" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6I-aM6W0Ko/U41-U8-d5_I/AAAAAAAAXQA/qKLv8yl2FIM/s1600/DebenHamAndFreebody,ILN,9-5-1925,450px.jpg" imageanchor="1" multilinks-noscroll="true" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6I-aM6W0Ko/U41-U8-d5_I/AAAAAAAAXQA/qKLv8yl2FIM/s1600/DebenHamAndFreebody,ILN,9-5-1925,450px.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debenham & Freebody, Illustrated London News, 9-5-1925</td></tr>
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<br />SROK Adshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10014205080711388297noreply@blogger.com0