In the 1950s, American society was marked by technological wealth, with rising stress on technology and science in many arenas of daily life. A major example of this trend was TV’s swift spread, which became a famous post-World War II consumer good. In the post-WWII, advertisers used ads to emphasize the improvements of specific TV sets, echoing the wider societal interests in technology and science. This paper assesses five major ads from the period after WWII that illustrate this theme and showcase how these advertisements offer insights into this era’s American society.
The primary ad is for the RCA Victor TV set. The advertisement features a sleek design and takes pride in its radical technology, comprising greater reception and improved picture quality (Victor, 2004). This ad’s audience is families, with images of children and parents smiling and congregating around a TV set. The RCA Victor TV set advertisement imitates the societal emphasis on technological progressions and the augmenting significance of television as a form of leisure and source of information in American households in that period. Moreover, the ad underlines the family-centeredness prevalent in American society, with the TV set depicted as a core of family life.
Another advertisement is for Philco TV. This advertisement underscores the TV’s durability and dependability (Altman, 1989). It reflects a smiling couple having fun watching a TV program with s tagline reading “Philco…America’s Most Dependable Television!” This TV was the right choice for Americans who were searching for a TV set that would offer them lasting value and reliability, especially after going through economic instability and rationing. Moreover, the advertisement echoes the wider societal trend of augmented stress on science and technology since the ad portrays Philco as a durable, dependable, and technologically cutting-edge TV brand.
In addition, the Zenith TV advertisement concentrates on the brand’s greater performance and technical innovations. This advertisement highlights aspects such as ‘Flash-Matic’ and ‘Ultra-Vision’ technology that were hyped as advanced TV technology during that era (Dreyfuss, 1991). The audience of this ad is tech-savvy consumers who like the latest innovations and long for a high-quality TV-watching experience. Besides, the advertisement embodies the societal fascination with technology and science in the 1950s since Zenith distinguished itself as a leader in the TV industry due to its cutting-edge technologies.
The next advertisement is for Motorola TV, which exhibits the brand’s dedication to advancement and innovation. This advertisement reflects a futuristic-looking TV set with a tagline that reads, “It’s new! It’s now! It’s Motorola!” The emphasis of this ad is the brand’s commitment to staying on top of the technological game and appeals to Americans who are fascinated by the most advanced and current technological creations (Timke, 2020). Furthermore, this ad imitates the wider societal trend of celebrating innovation and advances post-World War II since Americans were willing to embrace new innovations and reap the benefits of an ever more consumer-oriented community.
Lastly, there is the Westinghouse TV advertisement. The Westinghouse television ad underscores the company’s accessibility and affordability. It depicts a joyful family assembled around the brand’s TV set with a tagline that reads, “Now! Westinghouse brings television within reach of everyone!” Televisions became accessible and affordable to a broader range of buyers (Hinds, 1996). The advertisement highlights the cumulative role of TV as a principal necessity in American families since it ceased to be regarded as a luxury but a basic domestic device.
In summary, all these ads demonstrate the wider societal trend of the growing importance of science and technology and the increasing significance of TV as a consumer good in 1950s American society. The ads highlight the innovations and the advancements of various TV companies, with the target audiences being American households and tech-savvies.
References
Altman, K. E. (1989). Television as gendered technology: Advertising the American television set. Journal of popular film and television, 17(2), 46-56. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01956051.1989.9943632
Dreyfuss, D. H. (1991). The battle over the next generation of television. Scholastic Update, 124(6), 14-16. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA11610817&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=07457065&p=AONE&sw=w
Hinds, L. B. (1996). Broadcasting the Local News, The Early Years of Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV (Book Review). Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 73(2), 481. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e27d452a61cc96326291e25fe551a747/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818414
Timke, E. (2020). Key concepts in advertising: social tableaux. Advertising & Society Quarterly, 21(4). https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/21/article/780914/summary
VICTOR, R. (2004). COLOR. http://www.earlytelevision.org/pdf/rca_compatible_color.pdf
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