Advertising
Kleenex - the cold cream remover
Kleenex tissues were introduced in the 1920s, but at first it didn't occur to the Kleenex marketing team that the product could be used for nose blowing. Instead, they marketed Kleenex as a cold cream remover.More from wikipedia:
A few years after the introduction of Kleenex, the Cellucotton's head researcher tried to persuade the head of advertising to try to market the tissue for colds and hay fever. The administrator declined the idea but then committed a small amount of ad space to mention of using Kleenex tissue as a handkerchief. By the 1930s, Kleenex was being marketed with the slogan "Don't Carry a Cold in Your Pocket" and its use as a disposable handkerchief replacement became predominant.
Chicago Tribune - Nov 10, 1924
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 08, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, 1920s
French vs. American vacuum desire
Different takes on vacuum desire from the 1950s. The French ad is more blatant, but the American ad has pink octopus arms extending from the vacuum and promises that "Only $69.95 fulfills your longing."
1958 French ad for the Samy vacuum cleaner
source: periodpaper.com
Aspirateur de conception révolutionnaire tout plastique alliant la légèreté et la robustesse … A la portée de tous par son prix le SAMY est vraiment l’aspirateur de DEMAIN!
Translation:
A revolutionary all-plastic vacuum cleaner combining lightness and robustness... Within everyone's reach due to its price, the SAMY is truly the vacuum cleaner of TOMORROW!
Life - Feb 9, 1953
via The Vacuum Cleaner by Maud Ellmann
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 02, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, Appliances, 1950s, Europe
1951 Car Wash Beauty Pageant
Many more great photos at the link.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 02, 2024 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Advertising, 1950s, Cars
Are you a Danger-Mother?
Danger Mother would be a good name for a band, if there wasn't already a band named Wolfmother.
Life - Mar 29, 1948
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 25, 2024 -
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Category: Advertising, Parents, 1940s
Follies of the Madmen #601
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jul 22, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Food, Stereotypes and Cliches, Advertising, Children, 1950s, Native Americans
English Chemist’s Secret Formulation
Transform from a "fat & lonely" cartoon into a "slim & desirable" photograph in 3 days.It's got my vote for the best before-and-after figures of any weight-loss ad.
Daily Mirror - Mar 25, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 19, 2024 -
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Category: Advertising, 1970s, Dieting and Weight Loss
A vulgar tip to save gas
In 1974, the UK's South East Gas Board (SEGAS) solicited gas-saving tips from the public. It awarded prizes of £10 to those who offered the best tips and published their tips in a full-page ad.Conservative politician John Stokes subsequently denounced the ad as "deplorably vulgar and in the worst possible taste."
Can you figure out why? The answer is in extended.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 17, 2024 -
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Category: Censorship, Bluenoses, Taboos, Prohibitions and Other Cultural No-No’s, Public Utilities, Advertising, 1970s
Follies of the Madmen #600
Sorry, friends--nothing spectacular for entry #600. But still a good one, I think.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jul 09, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Domestic, Emotions, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Advertising, 1900s
Meat Cutting Offers You Success and Security
Because PEOPLE MUST EAT!
Popular Mechanics - Jan 1953
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 05, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Food, Jobs and Occupations, Advertising, 1950s
Have you put a price on your wife lately?
If you have, it's probably best not to tell her.
Newsweek - Mar 20, 1950
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 01, 2024 -
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Category: Advertising, Wives, 1950s, Cars
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |