Retro Commercials--What's the Attraction?

[D'Snowth]

I know, right? My favorite was always "You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!"

Or how about "No more ring around the collar-collar-collar-collar..."?

 

[Fragglemuppet]

I personally loved the Wendy's commercial, (or was it Burger King?), with the dictator announcing a fashion show where everyone wore the same thing. That, and "Mama mia, that's a spicey meatball!"!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I loved those current Burger King commercials from a few years back with those awkward office situations happing! pure genius! That being said, I think that commercial have become a little to crazy now days and try too hard to get a laugh. Anyone sen that recent Totino's pizza rolls commercial whee this lady was heating them up in the microwave and when it was does she takes the plate out and as soon as she puts in on the counter, her son busts his hands through the wall and feels around and gets the pizza rolls and is like "Thanks mom!" And she is freaked out and is like "O, oh; Okay! Bawhahahaahhah! *crying from laughter*

 

[Fragglemuppet]

You know, I never knew what was going on in that commercial! Thanks!

 

[Xerus]

I remember growing up with fun commercials and reciting popular quotes like....

"We got the Colgate Pump!"
"Nobody can do it like Ronald can!"
"We make holes in teeth!"
"You can make it with Play-Doh!"
"It's fun to create with Crayola!"

There's this site that sells classic commercials on DVD. I ordered some of them and it brings back wonderful memories of my youth.

http://members.tripod.com/~warp78/commercials.html

 

[Ilikemuppets]

You know, I never knew what was going on in that commercial! Thanks!

No problem. I totally understand seeing as commercials are so nutty that they can just make no sense. It's funny that they are saying that our product is so good that you would break you're and through the wall just to git it. The very smell of then is just that good, Lol!

I was just watching this show about the history of advertising and it was particularly focused on candy and M&m's and Hershey's. That were telling how The head of Hershey didn't think that advertising was necessary and how they were the only fortune 500 company who didn't use advertisements. He thought that a candy wrapper on the ground was advertisement enough, and when he would see one of his candy wrappers on the ground, he would turn it face side up so people could see what product it was. But after he passed, the company value fell significantly due to advertisement from their competition. So it was some time in the early seventies I think that their first commercial add appeared and it was really successful and put them ahead of their competition. One of their first adds was the Reese's commercial that D'Snowth was taking about. But the Hershey one was one that I was trying ti find earlier with no luck. I've seen it before and I remember the slogan, but now at the moment. But the reason it worked so well, and it was thins little cartoon short, but it was the purity and simplicity off it all. Nothing over blown or over the top. It kind of th opposite way it was today.

But it got me to thinking about Sesame street and the early days, and how the show was supposedly to mimic advertisement in the form of letter, numbers and other educational concepts. Now some people want them to show the day's of the simple short and sweet little cartoons that they used to show. But we all know that they do have to compete with competition to keep up with the time. So it makes sense to me that they would have to keep up with commercials, too. It's the reason why their commercials are so much more slick and polished jut like commercial have become more slick and polished and complex and state of the are using Techniques like CG and other things. It's because that have to keep up with the kinds of things being advertised to kids today and it's a different time then it was 39 years ago. Maybe advertising need to go back to it's simple roots because all the budget and effect in the world are not necessary just to sell a product, you know?

 

[CensoredAlso]

Now here's something, does anyone remember the old Cotton commericals, "The touch, the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives?" I missed that one for years!

It's funny, I mean, it's just a song about cotton, lol! But it's so touching, and poignant, because of course, it's not supposed to be just about cotton. It's about the emotion you connect with the product. The idea that the product has been part of our lives and memories for so long. Perhaps inadvertently, commercials also became part of the "fabric of our lives!"

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Now here's something, does anyone remember the old Cotton commericals, "The touch, the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives?" I missed that one for years!

It's funny, I mean, it's just a song about cotton, lol! But it's so touching, and poignant, because of course, it's not supposed to be just about cotton. It's about the emotion you connect with the product. The idea that the product has been part of our lives and memories for so long. Perhaps inadvertently, commercials also became part of the "fabric of our lives!"

Right! It's more then just a product. It's how it relates to us and what it means and the different meanings and it has and plays in our lives. It's like an old friend or part of the family and it's always there with you to in the moments of your live that means the mosts! It sound weird at first, but it really is so true in a way!

 

[Drtooth]

Now here's something, does anyone remember the old Cotton commericals, "The touch, the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives?" I missed that one for years!

Is that the one with Arron Neville? I really can't stand his effeminant sheep voice. He totally slaughtered "I Don't Want to live on the Moon" in a way that sickened me. And people say Yoko Ono was bad.

Stuff was WAY BETTER in the 80s and before!

I would love seeing all those good old commercials,etc.......

Even in the 90's things weren't so bad. It's this recent crop of 2 schools of though:

1)- Kids commercials should all feature older kids, almost teenagers (or preteens). McD's commercials never seem to feature any characters except for the Clown. And even then, he's not featured on it as much. But what really broke my heart was that they had a Pebbles commercial that featured live action human kids instead of Fred and Barney. To quote the hipsters of today, "Epic Fail!"

2)-Adult commercials about how Awkward every single situation has to be. For all the "I'm trying hard to be hip, but in real life this is my true identity" crowd, we have barely legal knockoffs of "The Office" performed by horrible actors, written by marketers that think they get the youth. And the other hand there's the "Let's see how many crazy costumes featuring visible heads we can use before the premise gets stale." News for you. It was already stale in the 90's when they had Crash Bandicoot come out and talk trash every five minutes.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I love the Crash Bandicoot ad's! And I also love the Burger people ad's too!

I think a a lot of different singers sang the cotton song.