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Great old Brand Names Foundation ad
Friend of Stay Free! Jim Hanas recently posted this awesome 1950s trade ad from the Brand Names Foundation that instructs readers on "How to get rid of an inferiority complex in a single day."
How does one get rid of an inferiority complex? According to some hilariously circular reasoning, by recognizing that corporations exist to please YOU:
[S]ay out loud: “I’m the boss! If a brand becomes famous, it’s because of me! If I and people like me stop buying a particular brand, that company goes out of business! I make the wheels go ‘round in America. I am the American consumer!”
As Jim points out, the current ad industry mantra about the "powerful consumer" is, thus, nothing new. The Brand Foundation and other trade groups have been making this argument for decades
I'm curious to know more about the Brand Foundation, though. I've got some old ads from the 1920s promoting brand-name goods, which made a lot of sense in a period when people were still acclimating themselves to a burgeoning consumer society. But, generally, the industry only initiates these kind of awareness campaigns when its public image is somehow suffering (from public criticism or other external threats). And in the early 1950s, when this ad appeared, the ad industry was doing quite well. If any of you knows more about this organization, let me know.
Posted by Carrie McLaren on 11/17/2005 | Permalink



