As I've mentioned before, I spend an inordinate amount of time watching commercials from the past. I enjoy them in a way I never did when they were first broadcast and interrupting whatever show I was watching.
A new batch of early 1980s commercials was recently uploaded to YouTube, and of course I had to click on that link to see which ones would greet me like old friends. The video runs about 20 minutes, and the spots are not themed to any one occasion or type of product. Yet there was a common denominator that went through just about all of them – one that seems sadly lacking not only in contemporary commercials but in contemporary television as well – optimism.
If you don’t share my enthusiasm for old commercials at least watch the first one in the video, for Kellogg’s cereal. The ebullient music proclaims, “When that sun breaks out, lift up your head and shout, it’s going to be a great day!” over scenes of people smiling over breakfast and on their way to work, and smiling kids on their way to school.
When was the last time you saw anything on television brimming with that much unbridled optimism? Do we no longer feel the joy of greeting a new day? Are we embarrassed now to be gladdened by something so simple? Are we too cynical now to appreciate such an artless response?
Next up – a commercial for Coppertone, with people happily soaking up rays on a beach, not worried at all about sun exposure. I can’t remember the last time I even saw a commercial for suntan lotion, though you can still buy it everywhere. I wonder if they no longer advertise lest they be accused of encouraging a dangerous activity.
The video continues with many more spots featuring folks of all ages having good times with their family and friends while enjoying whatever product is being advertised – Tab, Juicy Fruit gum, Coors Light, 7-Up, Pop Tarts, Nestea.
Along the way there are also commercials for Sears, which always tug at my heart now that this once celebrated retailer no longer exists.
Practical as always, these ads promised nice clothes at a fair price. And there’s Barbara Eden, extolling the virtues of control-top panty hose with the slogan “Nothing beats a great pair of L’eggs” – which is probably offensive now, but what isn’t?
And oh, the jingles. The Manhattan Transfer harmonizing for Diet Coke; KFC, back when they weren’t embarrassed to be known as Kentucky Fried Chicken: “It’s so nice, nice to feel, so good about a meal…”; Purina Cat Chow (“Chow chow chow!”), “Fall into the Gap,” and a young couple not afraid to “get a little closer, with the baby fresh scent of Arrid Extra Dry.”
What passes for music in commercials now? “I have Type 2 Diabetes, but I manage it well…” Time to hit that mute button.
Much as I can deceive myself into thinking times were always better during the Comfort TV era, I know that is not really the case. Every decade had its own anxieties. In the 1960s it was the Cold War – would the Soviet Union really fire the first shot? Why did they want to put those missiles in Cuba?
In the 1970s we had the first wave of environmental panic, and one dire prediction after another about the uncertain future of the planet. I’m not sure whether we were supposed to be roasting or freezing or underwater by now.
The thing about TV from the 1960s and ‘70s is that it largely separated itself from current events – which is why we can still watch so many shows from that time without their seeming dated. And the commercials? They were somehow more authentic and less annoying. They were unapologetic in what they promoted, and most of the time their message was simple: “You’ll be happier if you buy this.”
McDonald’s is one of the few brands that may be waking up to this. In 2025 they brought back McDonaldland in spots that are bright, colorful and musical. Now if only they’d do the same with their buildings. The McDonald’s commercial in the ‘80s video features a kid at the beach building a sandcastle modeled after what they looked like back then, with the red roof and big golden arches sign. All the locations now look like they’re trying to avoid attention, with their minimalist architecture and bland earth tone interiors that resemble a hipster coffee house that has seen better days.
Why can’t buildings be beautiful anymore? Or in the case of McDonald’s, distinctive? And why can’t commercials be fun instead of rattling off lists of possibly fatal side effects of prescription medication?
I guess that’s what keeps bringing me back to compilations like this. They remind me that there were nice things in the world, and nice people. I know that’s still the case – but for some reason television doesn’t have much interest in them.
No comments:
Post a Comment