We are a consumer nation. We will buy rocks if its packaged and advertised right. (Donit laugh,itis been done.)
Advertising is the key. Through eye-catching graphics and memorable slogans, snake oil salesmen sell their wares to an unsuspecting public, duping them out of hard earn cash for paraphernalia that sometimes doesnit work and is often dangerous, even deadly.
"Iid walk a mile for a Camel," (Addictive, cancerous).
"Coke, The Pause That Refreshes," (originally made with cocaine, hence the name).
"Plop-plop, Fizz-fizz! Oh, what a relief it is!" (contained an ingredient linked to hemorrhagic strokes in women).
All of these slogans and others, along with the accompanying graphics, became part of the American lexicon and culture, such as it is.
But what of lesser known products and ads? What of attempts to market products in different ways? What happened to those products and fashion trends that never quite caught on? The ads were out there -- some were successful, others no so much so. The map of the history of products and ads is replete with back alleys, dead-ends, and dirt roads that probably should have been left untraveled.
Thatis never stopped us before though. In fact, weid like to act as your tour guide to ads that are weird, strange, and odd. In short, weid like to direct your attention to this installment of A Cool Waste Of Time. Weive stumbled onto a site (Eatliver.com) that has a collection of real advertisements that are bound to have you scratching your head in wonder.
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Warning: Some ads are offensive on many levels (the Coke and Blitzkreig ads especially). Some seek to warn or inform ("She may look clean, but..."). Some are strange (the Man From Mars Radio Hat and the air-conditioned radiation suit). Some are just plain wrong (Lysol as a feminine hygiene product and the French ad of the pig cutting itself in half).
Check them out and read the fine print. Youill laugh, youill gasp, youill cringe in fear, and youill never look at an ad the same way again.
Do you have a Cool Waste of Time you found on the Internet? Tell Vern Seward all about it, and heis pass it around...