Advertising on the mend!

The cultural and economical environment of the 1950s established advertising trends that still hold their own over 50 years later!

Although traditional media like radio, magazines and newspapers were still on top in the early 1950s television soon became the cornerstone of many advertisers in national media plans. This caused advertising expenditures to skyrocket. For example one company, J. Walter Thompson Co., had its billings increase from $78 Million in 1945 to $172 Million in 1955 and hit $250 Million before the 1960s. The decade caused a gross annual industry billing to grow from $1.3 Billion in 1950 to $6 Billion in 1960, the creative industry was back and better than ever!

The Hidden Persuader

Most of us currently know that there is a level of psychology involved in advertising design (That’s right, all us graphic designers have a basic understanding of what makes you tick), well you can thank the 1950s for that knowledge!

As the Cold War raged, advertising critics claimed that mind-control methods were being used to manipulate consumers. Research into hidden desires were being used to help advertisers influence consumers by using their own need for security, sex, acceptance, and success.

Ernest Dichter and his associates used psychological tools to analyse buying habits and attitudes towards products, brands, packaging, and colours. Mr Dichter suggested that a dichotomy that advertisers need to overcome is what he named “the conflict between pleasure and guilt” among the adults more affluent than their Depression-era parents.

Vance Packard introduced motivational research to the post-Cold War public in his book “The Hidden Persuaders.” Although it didn’t reveal much about the advertising technique the book did fuel the publics’ fear of advertisers’ manipulation/mind control and became one of the most widely read exposés of advertising since the 1930s.

Even with the fear of manipulation consumerism remained on the rise throughout the 50s and advertisers continue to develop new ways to promote a product.
The more advertisers knew about psychology it brought an experimental approach to design. Many of these new designs we still use today; by reducing text and condensing it to one area, usually the bottom of the page there is a better balance between image and copy in the 1950s than ever before.

TIME TO OPEN THE DOOR TO THE UNKNOWN!!