When WWII ended, a pent-up demand for consumer goods sparked a revolution in the evolving medium of advertising. Narrated by Mad Men actor John Slattery, this four-part Smithsonian Channel series uses Don Draper and other fictional "mad men" on the hit TV show to review trends in TV advertising from the buttoned up 1950s through the freewheeling 1980s. At first, TV employed the hard sell, invoking the patriotic need to consume to spark the economy and avoid another Depression. Television used repetition, promoting the feminine idea of women as homemakers, while also pitching ads to the children of the Baby Boom—notably that "salesman on strings," Howdy Doody. In the '60s, candor replaced outlandish claims, even as creative ad men coined memorable phrases like the "Pepsi generation," some of which entered the mainstream, such as "always a bridesmaid," originally featured in a Listerine ad. In the late '60s and early '70s, blacks and other minorities demanded representation, and regulations curtailed depictions of smoking and miracle drug claims. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and real-life ad execs talk about life in ad agencies, which was often characterized by heavy smoking, on the job drinking, and sexual harassment. The late '70s and '80s ushered in advocacy advertising and slick appeals to boosting social status, along with niche advertising, cable TV, MTV, and that bane of late night, infomercials. Drawing on hundreds of examples, this fast-paced, informative, and entertaining series is highly recommended. Editor’s Choice. Aud H, C, P. (S. Rees)
The Real Mad Men of Advertising
(2016) 164 min. DVD: $19.99. Smithsonian Channel (avail. from most distributors). SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0266-3. Volume 33, Issue 4
The Real Mad Men of Advertising
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