The first adverts on TV, in black & white were pushy promotions to high-definition inspirational stories, it is safe to say that television advertising has come a very long way since it was first created in 1941. Lets take a look at certain well-known brands first attempts at a television advert…
Coca Cola
This short spot aired on ITV in 1956 and was one of six television adverts Coca Cola produced that year. With clear emphasis on the use of a celebrity endorsement, it is interesting to compare this to the most recent Coca Cola feel-good advertisement which focuses on every-day individuals and a sense of unity.
Apple
Directed by Ridley Scott, who also directed Alien and Predator, Apple introduced the mackintosh with the most unrelated advertisement to this day. It was aired in the third quarter of the 1984 Superbowl and cost $900,000 to produce. Compared to the well-known iPod spot which used simplicity to display dancing silhouettes with iPod’s, Apple’s advertising style has definitely improved over the years.
McDonalds
One of the most globally recognised billion dollar brands had a very different approach to television advertising. It is interesting to see how McDonalds focused all their efforts on Ronald McDonald whereas nowadays the brand have taken on the same feel-good storytelling advertisement as Coca Cola. It appears that the main aim of television advertising nowadays is to evoke some form of emotion in the viewer potentially to form a positive subconscious psychological relationship.
Nike
I bet you didn’t need the headline to guess which decade this ad was produced. With huge focus on the product, communicating the main USPs of this brand definitely appears to be the main goal of the spot. The most recentNike ad was released last month and although it is less product-focused, consistency still remains as it inspires the viewer to get active.
Ford
Without showing the actual product, this ad must have certainly fuelled anticipation for the well-known Mustang to arrive. This is similar to the recent Ford Mondeo advertisement by instilling anticipation from a sense of mystery about the new product proving consistency in the brand. Not a bad effort as far as 1960s TV advertising goes!
Maybelline
With no creepy clown dancing in the background or stick-figure ‘science’, this has to be the best first attempt at TV advertising. It is very straight forward and explanatory, yet highly persuasive. Newer Maybelline advertising efforts tend to focus around appearing powerful and bold which leads to our final question.
Does advertising tend to influence consumer behaviour? Or is it the progressive consumer influencing the advertising world? In this chicken-egg situation it is difficult to forecast future perceptions towards a brand, therefore TV ads must be tailored specifically to the present-day consumer. The earlier television ads tend to focus on explicitly selling the product, whereas current-day advertising tends to centre around subtlety of selling the brand.
In years to come perhaps we will look back and laugh at the adverts of today which leaves us wondering… What is the future for TV advertising?
