All-American Ads of the 70s

Both eclipsed and influenced by television American print ads of the 1970s departed from the bold, graphic forms and subtle messages that were typical of 60s advertisements. More literal, more in-your-face, 70s ads sought to capture the attention of a public accustomed to blaring, to-the-point TV commercials (even VW ads, known for their witty, ironic statements and minimalist designs, lost their punch in the 1970s). All was not lost, though; as ads are a sign of the times, racial and ecological awareness made their way into everything from cigarette to car advertisements, reminding Americans that everyday products were hip to the modern age. Marketing specialists studied focus groups with furious determination to figure out how to best communicate to a mass audience, thus producing such dumbed-down gems as the slogan "Sisters are different from brothers," used for an African-American hair product. By the end of the decade, print ads began to recoup, gaining in originality and creativity as they began to focus on target audiences by carefully choosing placement in smaller publications. A fascinating study of mass culture dissemination in a post-hipple television-obsessed nation...