Martinex1: As of late, we have been featuring television programs relatively frequently here at BitBA. So today let's take a look at the miniature art form of the era - television commercials. I can remember as a youngster looking forward to a couple of commercials, and perhaps you had the same feelings around those ads and the brands they featured.
Nowadays it seems the airways are clogged with advertisements for drugs and automobiles, but I recall many more ads for food when growing up. From the Jolly Green Giant to the Peanuts hawking Dolly Madison Cakes to the Keebler Elves living in a tree, every commercial seemed to center around culinary delights. My grandfather got a particular kick out of the singing kid in this Oscar Meyer commercial for bologna.
On Saturday mornings, the commercials focused on two things - breakfast cereals and toys. Here is a commercial for the Kenner SSP Smashup Derby! I must have seen this spot a thousand times between episodes of Josie and the Pussycats and Scooby-Doo.
I mentioned food and cereal, and often the commercials for those were quite creative using fun characters, cartoons, and witty scripts. Kellogg's, Quaker, and Post each had their stable of mascots. There were some outliers like Mikey and Life Cereal that were not animated, but I preferred the cartoons including those directed by the famous Jay Ward. Quisp, Quake, and Quangaroos were products I rarely tasted, but I enjoyed their marketing.
There were also local commercials that caught my eye and had me chuckling. Long Chevrolet, a car dealership in the suburbs of Chicago, featured a newsboy reading headlines about the great savings and deals. One commercial deep in the series featured a surprise headline and a hilarious ending (for a grade school viewer).
What commercials stick in your mind from back in the day? Did they feature toys, food, cereal, or other commodities small or grand? Do you have a favorite? And which commercial really got on your last nerve? TV sales pitches are what we are discussing today at BitBA! Cheers!
