The Real Mad Men
The ascetic and social contexts surround DDB ads in the 50
and 60s
Advertising up until the late 50s was seen by account people
as an alternative to Wall Street. Certain people were viewed in negative ways,
such as Italians. There were racial stereotypes and prejudice. Bernbach said “You always have to act in the
idiom of the times in which you live”. America had just invented the teenager
which gave youth presence and influence. As George Lois wrote in 2010 Playboy
article, “It was an inspiring time to be an art director like me with a rage to
communicate, to blaze trails, to create icon rather than con. The times they
were a-changin.” Architecture grew,
making the ascetics of New York greater.
Music, art and literature were ignited against a social
background that was far from settled. The social context was that there was a
rapid growth of awareness of racial injustice. The world was living under the
shadow of the atomic bomb and communism. Jazz was a genre of music being
noticed and backed by people in angst. Music was growing and art, art was
becoming more creative and different types were given a place to be seen, this
allowed growth in the different types of ascetics.
DDB were utilising the growth in technology by advertising
the products, such as the Polaroid. DDB celebrated its Jewishness. DDB were
open to immigrants and Jewish people which were very different to that of other
advertising agencies. A huge economic expansion creates a big need for the raw
product of advertising business, the ads themselves, this benefitted DDB. The
audience of advertising were demographically younger, newly wealthy and curious
American.
Explaining why the “think small”
campaign “epitomises the creative revolution”
The think small campaign epitomises the creative revolution
because it broke the boundaries of conventional advertising. It was not typical
of the norm of advertising as it had empathy and treated consumers as not just
consumers but more like friends and involved selling a truth about brands, not
just facts or repetition. It broke the confounding feel of advertising and allowed
creative’s to do what they do best and develop stories and ideas for
advertising.
The campaign demonstrated how advertising can be charming
and playful. How irony and comedy can be used to advertise a product or brand. The
campaign was a mark on the history of advertising, as it demonstrates how
creative advertising can benefit a brand and a product, by encouraging people
to believe in the brand or idea, not just wanting to buy it.
This gave way to creative advertising and allowed it to be
viewed with a lot more respect and utilise the use of applying creativity to
advertising. This is why the “think small” campaign “epitomises the creative
revolution” because it has became a timeless piece of advertising, and gave
industries and businesses an example of how to utilise creativity.
