Sunday, July 13, 2008

Don't mak'em like this anymore Pt.1

Whatever happened to good commercials? I remember being a kid and actually looking forward to the break in the program I was watching in order to sing my favorite jingles with the commercial actors. It seems that back then there was a certain simplicity and amusement to television advertisements that today's commercials completely lack.

What do we have these days for commercials? Before sitting down to write this post, I deliberately sought out contemporary T.V. ads and noticed they had a certain monotonous and somewhat weary disposition. Above all else, they were completely deprived of music your mind wants to retain, and that later unconsciously find yourself humming as you do odds-and-ends around your house or while driving or even while you're working.

Now before you point out to me the obvious consumerist and inherent materialistic constituents of all commercials, I want you to know that I'm well aware of these dangers. This post is a nostalgic trip back in time, not a celebration of a particular product.

Here are a few of the commercials that peppered my television viewing time. Some you know, some you might not know. How you stylize a T.V. ad is often based on demographic regions. So what might have been aired in one part of the country might not necessarily have been televised in another part.

I love this Hershey Bar jingle. My absolute favorite!



"Catch that Pepsi spirit!" Another thing I love about 70's and 80's commercials is that they featured small towns with small communities, narrow streets, and buildings at close proximity to each other.



"You got your chocolate in my peanut butter..." Classic!



N-E-S-T-L-E-S from 1986. I love the music from this commercial.



Another favorite from the 1970's featuring actor David Naughton. Love the jingle!



The video quality of this commercial is very poor, but I know you recognize the jingle.

8 comments:

Katie Alender said...

New commercials are all about catching your attention even as you fast-forward with your TiVo. I noticed the other day that some stations put the logo of the show up halfway through the commercial break, so you stop fast-forwarding and are forced to see the beginning of the next commercial.

I don't like it, but I can't blame them, because we're commercial skippers and therefore not pulling our weight, advertising-wise.

uncle jim said...

nice pieces ... but i didn't know them all

Tracy said...

These were great.. fun to watch.. I love you tube:)

Tracy said...

oh Tom, there is an urgent prayer request for Melissa.. please check the daily grotto.. I am hoping we can get many praying for sweet Melissa.. blessings:)

Cathy_of_Alex said...

Tom: I agree. Commercials now have little to no pizzazz. One of my favs is the Samsonite commercial with the gorilla throwing it all over. Funny and it made a point about how tough the bags were.

Terry Nelson said...

I love commercials too - I think they are some of the best things on television.

Anonymous said...

I COMPLETELY agree - commercials are not what they used to be!

as a musician, I notice it from that angle. There used to be catchy jingles made up for individual products and companies, with a theme that could actually be worked with so as to create an imaginative and clever visual.

now they "use" (and I really mean ABUSE) pop songs...regardless of whether the artist wants them to be used for such ventures or not.

And they do this because it costs money to have someone MAKE UP A SONG FOR YOU.

it's quite cheap to steal someone else's.

if you notice, very commercial you picked has a strong theme song. Easily recognizable for that product. Now we've got a song you heard last week on an indie station selling cell phones and a 70's band's classic hit selling cars.

BAH!
and FIE!

a symptom of american corporate greed.

hahaha....

good post, mate.

-taynia

Anonymous said...

grrrr...sory fro all teh typos ^^^^ Im typping liek I've bnn on a bender.