Month: December 2009

This 2008/9 commercial for Van de Kamp’s fish is another indicator of a cultural shift.  Yes, the kid is a mouthy, disrespectful brat–kids are kids, and they have always been kids*.  So that’s not the point.  Point is that in this commercial we’re saying, “The kid is right!” No longer is there an authoritarian voice,… Continue reading Bratty Kids and the Authoritarian Voice

At some point in the mid-1960s, we start to see non-centeredness.  This ad for Chevrolet “OK” Used Cars from 1968 is a prime example.  The green box has been added by me. What’s at the center?  Usually, the most important information is at the center of the image.  But here we’ve got a bored kid… Continue reading The Center Cannot Hold

My search for this elusive song began in 1981, when I was 17 years old.  The song itself was rather unremarkable.  If I had to describe it, I would say that it was a peppy cha-cha-esque instrumental song from the 1960s. I can never know when that song entered my mind.  Using my writerly imagination… Continue reading Destroying My Last Memory Cell

What about antiquity in ads from the 1960s?  There is a point in advertising when we shift from forward-thinking (or even present-thinking) to thinking backwards.  This Oldsmobile ad from April 11, 1969 is hardly the most prominent example of this, but it’s a start.