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40 Of The Most Creative Vintage Ads That Show Just How Different The World Used To Be
Getting an old magazine or newspaper is a fantastic way to start exploring the past. See how people once used their language, what was included, and excluded. Memorizing events is all fine and dandy, but these don’t actually show how people would approach everyday life. Advertisements are a great way to approach what people liked and wanted.
Through the magic of the internet, we now are able to catalog and share all sorts of ads from the past online. So prepare to look into a different time as you scroll through, be sure to upvote our favorites and comment your thoughts on these truly vintage ads below.
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Advertisement For Bacardi Rum Warning Against The Dangers Of Drunk Driving (1986)
Man Looking For A Wife In 1865
I was going to say the same. By his ad, he sounds like he's got his ducks in a row at a young age.
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I have seen this before, and if I'm correct (there might be a similar ad out there, so don't quote me), some intrepid Panda or Redditor found them, looked them up, and yes--they did find someone.
Generally ranked in the bottom 3 with Buchanan and some more recent guy
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Indeed. Try to acquire free farmland nowadays
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May the odds be ever in your favor.
Load More Replies... *starts reading* Okay, okay, this all sounds good, but are his oats and potatoes bully? Are ... his oats ... and potatoes ... YESSS!!
"I have good set of teeth" ....I am gonna put this on my tinder.... interesting 🤔
Let us know how that works out for you lol... My guess is that it'll probably work out pretty well. Especially since nowadays a lot of people don't take care of their oral hygiene unfortunately.(or they sadly have an addiction that destroys their teeth😔)
Load More Replies... He believed in Andy Johnson? Dude, leave the politics out till you've charmed her. That didn't hold up
awe, that actually sounds pretty good. though a woman living on a farm like that probably wouldnt have need for a hoop skirt unless she went into town, would she? seems like she'd be putting in work on the homestead and a hoopskirt would just get in the way. course im thinking of like reinfaire hoopskirt so maybe there was a different farm friendly kind?
Anyone know where in aroostook this was? We live up there but don’t know much about this.
I work exclusively with juniors and seniors in high school. I will be the first to complain about their immaturity and inability to take responsibility for their actions. But, I also specialize in working with students who are at high risk of not graduating high school. The "mature" kids are in another classroom. Every year we have students in our building who are, hard-working, creative, honest, and responsible. Some of them are already making $10-$20,000 a year with their own small business. Others are working industry related jobs starting out at $30,000 a year. Before they've earned their high school diploma.
I agree, there are still some great hardworking young kids(16-21) in this world(I'm proud to say that my daughter is 1 of them🥲🥰), but unfortunately there are way more young kids who are just lazy,want something for nothing, idiotic freeloaders 🤦♀️😞.
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He wanted to buy her her hoopskirts and waterfalls...sounds a romantic chap at heart. I'd go sparkin' with him any day.
He wanted to buy her hoopskirts and waterfalls...sounds a romantic chap. I'd go sparkin' with him any day.
Experience, in love preferred, but will accept a young trainee, gonna put it in the want ads🎼🎶🎶
Even back then it mattered more what a man owned than who he was...
And look at 18 year olds today..... Totally different way of life now
Back then that was completely common. There are still some kids that hardworking, sadly it's just a rarity now... My daughter started her own business all by herself when she was 15(just a slime business that she got bored of lol but still impressive imo),at 16 she got her 1st job bagging groceries and by 17 was their best cashier(even though you're supposed to be 18 to be a casier)and doing the manager's job half the time(and bought her 1st car entirely on her own), at 18 she was asked to take a manager's position but she declined due to how bad the higher ups ran the store, at 19 she went to a different job and within a year she became a manager(and bought herself a new car, again entirely on her own). She is now 20 and just bought herself a house(without a co-signer) because she started working on building her credit as soon as she was old enough to. I am an extremely proud mother 🥰
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And 18 year olds today just want to play on the TikTok, eat tide pods, and complain about the crippling unaffordability of life. Shame.
18 year olds today are also creating new technology and industries, leaders in math and sciences, and pioneers for a better future. Don't discount our young people today. I'm sure there were many 18 yo slackers in that young man's time. The vast majority of our young people are just struggling to do their best in a crazy world the last generation left them.
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They don’t make ‘em like that anymore. At 18 they’re mostly off doing burnouts in their parents car, smoking ganja, looking at Tik Toks or pornography, and generally being altogether useless.
Is this comment ironic? If it was ironic it's kind of funny...
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They All Got The Vaccine.. Except Dad, 1958
Often, the 50s and 60s were referred to as a sort of golden age of advertising. It’s no accident that the hit show Mad Men was set during this time period when both the science of marketing and economic booms all came together. It was the first time brands started to really think about a solid image to create and maintain and companies started to spend a lot of money working out ways to entice buyers.
This “golden age” wasn’t just a one-way street of businesses realizing that marketing had its advantages, it coincided with a lot of economic prosperity in the United States, as more and more families had money to spend on luxury items. In general, spending was no longer taboo, as it may have been during the great depression and companies found that they really did have to compete with a whole host of competitors.
Honestly The Graffiti Is Better
Wait, I can fix it. If it were a married woman, it would get its bottom pinched by her respectful and adoring husband of over 20 years. There, I defanged it.
Ray Ban 1998 Ad
When I’m 64
Once you add in all the new possibilities for where and how to display ads, you get a melting pot of creativity. Radio had been around for a while, but soon marketing teams realized that TV was a great medium to promote something. At the same time, many Americans were purchasing cars and traveling, making billboards potentially more effective. The result is that creatives, from cinematographers to musicians and artists could all be employed to make eye or ear-catching ads.
Remember Digging Through The Entertainment Section Of The Newspaper To Find The Movie Listings?
I saw the "sneak preview" of Jaws - can you imagine?!!! For those unfamiliar, a "sneak preview" was when they released a movie at a handful of theaters with ZERO plot information or 2 minute preview ads. All you had to go on was the poster. Obviously Jaws was about a big scary shark, but nothing could have prepared 17 year old me for that movie...so great and one of my favorite memories.
Best Buy, 1999
Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places
Despite the veritable buffet of possibilities, many vintage ads were quite classy and creative, perhaps a result of many of the best minds going into advertising. WV's classic “think small” ad for the beetle is a good example of modernizing a pre-war car with an eye-catching, minimalist poster. It was also a clever way to stand out by not being more loud, flashy, or bombastic than many of its competitors.
Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)
Jester Wools (1947, UK)
btw back then the word meant happy, not homosexual. And yes the rainbow and bright colors were associated with that. Later when the gay rights movement took the term gay for themselves to counter the slur terms, they also adopted the bright colors and rainbow associated with the word as well
1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad
Curious readers can find a number of clever tricks used in the “think small” ad, including the way the car is angled to direct the reader toward the text. This text actually ends with a period, which was quite uncommon for the time, while the entire poster was black and white. This actually helped it stand out, as by 1959 most visual display ads would be in color.
Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)
Esprit (1980's)
With A Smile
It's easy to murder people when you have no fear whatsoever of the electric chair.
Other companies started to realize that they didn’t just have to sell a product, they could sell themselves, as a brand. These days, this has reached such a position that there are consumers who will buy something not because they like the product, but because they like the brand. Apple is a prime example of this. The origins of this idea can be traced back to a couple of different examples, including the Cadbury Flake Girl.
In 1962, Bette Davis Placed This Ad In Variety
Five weeks after this ad, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" premiered, getting her another Oscar nomination.
Cottonelle Colored Toilet Paper (1982)
"Someday Roads Will Tell Cars Where To Go" Gm (1969)
This would allow a large corporation to suddenly morph into a more personified character that people might relate to and even like. Other companies would try to associate their brand with enduring, desirable qualities, like reliability and innovation. This also freed up advertisers to expand on what they could show and talk about, as the topic no longer had to just be a product or service.
Daihatsu Hijet Ad From 1996
"Is Your Kid Living In A Dream World?" Ad Placed In Ebony Magazine Encouraging Minorities To Pursue Stem Careers. General Electric, 1979
Maybe they need an ad like this again, across all platforms. Not just minority girls either, but all girls. Encourage them that they don't have to dream of being an influencer or Instagram model. Be a scientist that discovers the next big breakthrough. Go to Mars. Go into cyber security. Anything that doesn't involve how many likes you get online.
1988 Penn Tennis Ball Ad Promoting The French Open
These days, companies can and do actively advertise to children. In the past, it made sense to target adults, as they were the ones with any real purchasing power, but marketers quickly learned that a persistent child could talk parents into quite a lot. Similarly, many young adults were already working, so they could be persuaded to spend some of their hard-earned cash on luxuries and entertainment.
Pan American Airlines (1956)
One Oregon Newspaper Clip Reads: “We Appeal To Your Civil Patriotism To Co-Operate With Us In Our Effort To Stamp Out The Spanish Influenza Or “Flu” Plague In Portland By Wearing A Mask.”
Sony Walkman 1980
I'm Pretty Sure Everyone Had One Of These
Vintage Soda Cans Dates Unknown
American Airlines, 1971
Looking out the window would probably convince you, I'd have thought. But that does look pretty awesome!
This TV Looks Like It's Going To Kill Her!
Apple Computers Late 90s
1950s Ad For Methedrine Brand Methamphetamine Hydrochloride (Aka Speed)
Pizza Hut Oven In Sears Catalog (1977) "Put Up The 'Official' Sign And You're In Business!"
Game Boy Ad 1990s
Ge Widescreen 1000 - General Electric Performance Television - 1978
How To Carry 20 Megabytes Of Data Around In 1985
1965 Ge Ad
Life Savers ~ Fancy Fruits (1965)
"Past Present Future?", Western Electric, 1959
Panasonic "Don't Listen To Squares" 1973
I had a red one when I was a teenager. Used to listen to it in bed with the earphone and would fall asleep with it on. Wish I still had it.
Ad From A Finnish Teen/Music Magazine Suosikki 1983
Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Just popping in to point out that, factually speaking, anyone can indeed contract COVID. Please, don't fall for that pseudoscientific antivaxx nonsense. Oh, and the mRNA did curb polio quite a bit. Science suggests vaccines do work.
I agree with your intention. You should however be careful about spreading misinformation yourself. The polio vaccine has "nothing" to do with mRNA. In fact the covid vaccine is the first mRNA vaccine. (*of course the immune response triggered in the end and the effect of training the immune system are very similar. So far vaccines contained inactivated viruses or proteins to react to. The mRNA vaccines trick the body to produce such proteins itself)
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The COVID shot did what it was supposed to do and that's mute the severity of infection. Vaccines are not like pesticides, they do not kill the virus, only help your body respond better to it.
Load More Replies... Just popping in to point out that, factually speaking, anyone can indeed contract COVID. Please, don't fall for that pseudoscientific antivaxx nonsense. Oh, and the mRNA did curb polio quite a bit. Science suggests vaccines do work.
I agree with your intention. You should however be careful about spreading misinformation yourself. The polio vaccine has "nothing" to do with mRNA. In fact the covid vaccine is the first mRNA vaccine. (*of course the immune response triggered in the end and the effect of training the immune system are very similar. So far vaccines contained inactivated viruses or proteins to react to. The mRNA vaccines trick the body to produce such proteins itself)
Load More Replies... The COVID shot did what it was supposed to do and that's mute the severity of infection. Vaccines are not like pesticides, they do not kill the virus, only help your body respond better to it.
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