50 years ago in America - Car advertising
08/04/2012
Of course, the automobile was advertised right from the beginning of motorization, using the possibilities and stylistic devices of the time. In this respect, it was completely normal for a vehicle manufacturer in the 1960s to invest a considerable amount of money in printed newspaper and magazine advertisements and to advertise the various models in as many four colors as possible. And it was important to be present in the large and widely read car magazines such as "Road & Track". No wonder Jaguar booked the back cover of this magazine for the whole of 1962. There was probably not enough money or imagination for twelve different subjects, but the published advertising illustrations are nevertheless impressive.
The BMC (British Motor Company) went one step further by publishing a multi-page "letter" in the middle of Road&Track issue 11/1962 on the occasion of the presentation of the MG B on the American market, which was particularly important to them, "explaining" the advantages of the new sports car to the R&T editors in words and colorful pictures.
Of course, not only European but also American makes were advertised, especially the Ford Mustang and, of course, the newly released Chevrolet Corvette C2.
American advertisers also liked to use "extreme" comparisons, such as Pontiac comparing the Grand Prix with the Lotus Seven.
Volkswagen advertised the Beetle in creative ways, be it with "think small" or humorous references to the fact that little had actually changed in the Beetle. Of course, repeated references were also made to reliability and build quality.
And Volvo was not afraid to pit the P 1800 against the Ferrari 250 GT and the Aston Martin DB 4 Vantage and ask which of the three cars could be had for USD 3,995.
The advertising subjects mentioned in this blog post and a large number of other advertisements can be found in the Zwischengas archive .
