Advertising Through the Years

The advertising industry: arguably the most irritating media industry for consumers, yet the most successful in growth.

Photo Credit: Tom Dillon / Unsplash

Advertisements were once only done through face-to-face conversations, but today, you'll see an ad as you scroll through social media, watching TV (not just cable TV, but even on streaming services), or playing a mobile game. Advertisements, whether people notice it or not, have taken over the world.

And that was the advertising industry's goal.

Maybe that's being a little dramatic, but it's essentially true. It's the job of the advertising industry to compel consumers to buy products, watch certain shows, vote for particular candidates, play a new game... The list goes on. And they've successfully used every available medium, from newspapers, to television, to social media and algorithms, to do just that.

Does it bother consumers when ads or commercials pop up anywhere and everywhere at all times? Yes. But do consumers sometimes pay attention to these ads, going so far as to take advantage of algorithms to skew them in their favor? Also yes. It's a love to hate relationship, but we all have to admit that advertisers know what they're doing. And as years have gone by and society continued to change, advertisements have as well.

Ivory Soap Ad - 1925

Photo Credit: Duke University digital collections

Let's take a look at this ad for Ivory soap, used in 1925. Obviously, it may not be very affective today, which I'll discuss more later, but it seems to hit all the right pressure points for people of the 20's. It focuses on what an article about advertising appeals describes as social appeal, as well as a hint of feminine appeal.

Social appeal hones in on people's sense of belonging and need for acceptance. In this case, people of the 20's, especially women, would have wanted to seem pure and unblemished to society, and Ivory soap is advertised as soft and rich, while still enough to get household jobs done.

It's hard to say what the advertisers meant by Benjamin Harrison's presidency providing hands protection in 1889, but their mention of women in the 1880's suggest that they didn't have to worry much about "roughened hands." Women of the 1880's, without the work and environment women are more used to today, could keep soft and dainty hands without much trouble.

Women of the 20's, however, were growing more accustomed to being housewives or working women, and had more cause to worry about the state of their hands. It's a clever campaign, really.

"For it is not the work that hands do which makes them rough and red - it is the soap used in the work."

The ad even showcases all the different types of soap the company produces, which seem perfect for their tasks and even places in typical 1920's homes. It makes sure to explain every possible reason why it's not only beneficial to use Ivory soap, but practical as well.

Ivory Soap Ad - 2011

Photo Credit: The New York Times

Ivory soap's most recent ad is almost the complete opposite. For one, there are considerably fewer words to read compared to the 1925 ad, and it takes a different approach altogether in what it appeals to. While the 1925 ad focused on society and feminine appeals, this most recent one takes an approach the article calls plain and rational appeal.

The simplicity of the ad appeals to the fact that Ivory soap is completely normal and plain, making it both necessary and more rational to use compared to other soaps. A New York Times article explains how this campaign leans into the complicated and sometimes humorous use of soap these days, with their strange shapes and such, allowing Ivory soap to shine by being simple.

The 1925 ad was clever in its choice of words and psychological appeal, while this 2011 one was clever for its lack of all that.

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Clearly, much has changed in the way of advertising since the 1920's. Though certain methods have become a little more complicated with the use of technology, ads themselves have actually become quite simple.

It makes sense, since people's attention spans have shortened to the point where if you don't pique someone's interest in 5 seconds, you'll lose them completely. Plus, we now live in a world where almost every bit of information anyone could ever know is at our fingertips.

There's no need to include all the details in an ad, the way Ivory soap would in the 1920's. In fact, it seems better to include as little as possible since most people are likely to prefer doing their own research rather than relying solely on an advertisement.

But that doesn't mean ads have become unnecessary. Yes, they're a little intrusive, especially when you're just trying to relax and watch a movie or listen to music, but they still play a big part in consumer culture. People still sing jingles from years ago, quote certain commercials, and even if they don't actually buy whatever product it's selling, it's still a win for the advertising industry.