The Fascinating History Of Television Commercials: How They’ve Changed Over The Years

All About Television ^ | 3/8/23 | Jay

[TornadoAlley3]

Dinah Shore

[Fester Chugabrew]

Interesting. My personal second best is Chevy’s “Heartbeat of America” ads. A lot of time has passed, no?

Here’s what I do not recall until recently: Pharmaceutical ads that call out side effects worse than death itself. Good God! Oh, and ads that cheer men into woodys without regard for God’s discipline.

Hey. I’m just an old fart with firmware that can do just fine without such “help,” at least for now

[Dr. Sivana]

I rather like the tweener stage in the '70s. They had agreeable ads for both black and white people:

Burger King ad with white people

Burger King ad with black people

Also, a mixed race ensemble production number with roughly accurate representations by race can also work:

McDonald's Team

[Retain Mike]

Food City is a Southern grocery store chain with headquarters in Bristol, Tennessee. This is their one-minute commercial. Not a word spoken and none is needed.

Very few commercials deserve to go viral. This one from Food City does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoABty_zE00

[Political Junkie Too]

That was an iconic commercial that I still talk about today.

-PJ

[Political Junkie Too]

Seems likes 2/3rd's of commercials today are from big pharma.

It also seems like it depends on what channel you watch.

If you watcheded Nick at Night, you got Viagra and Cialis commercials.

If you watched MeTV, you got portable oxygen tanks, step-in bathtubs and dialysis at home commercials.

If you watched LOGO and Lifetime, you got AIDS commercials.

If you watched MTV and VH1 commercials, you got tech school and bail bonds commercials.

-PJ

[Retain Mike]

Around the time this commercial came out I marched in a Veteran’s Day parade with a Marine master sergeant who enlisted in the Corps in 1936. He said his proudest achievement was bringing out his entire unit from the Chosen Reservoir. He had no trouble fitting into his uniform but didn’t think the stitching would stand up to drycleaning anymore. I wore my dress blues I got at Navy OCS in 1969.

[Political Junkie Too]

I remember this commercial from 1968 for Gulf "no nox" gasoline.

Click on the gif to see the full commercial.

-PJ

[trebb]

They stopped talking about the product and try to tie everything to having a “happy lifestyle” - even drugs are now touted as “self-esteem elation”.

[Fresh Wind]

LOLOL! Me want candy bar!

[VastRWCon]

“To me there is no TV commercial that beats Clara Peller’s original “Where’s the beef?” for Wendy’s.”

Geico - Hide behind the chainsaws #1 all time fav!

[Fresh Wind]

Racist commercial from China...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRM_9aNw8O8

[NetAddicted]

Read later, to see how many I remember.

[Cold_Red_Steel]

The commercial I remember most was one I saw in the UK during the 80s.

You see and hear a vacuum rolling within inches of a sleeping cat. The vacuum quickly moves back and forth very close to the cat and the light flickers. The screen goes black and you hear a screaming cat. The announcer says “Time to buy a new light bulb...”

First time I saw it I shouted “...and a new F%$@ cat!”

[Dr. Franklin]

All I see is interracial ones with the White submissive wife. Sickening!

Who are both no longer portrayed as interested in white men, and certainly not submissive to them.

[EvilCapitalist]

FEAST!

[Fledermaus]

I remember early commercials running a full minute.

It’s today’s that are short, around 15 seconds. 30 at most.

[Bob434]

not me- We have been watching old mutual of omaha shows, and the commercials zip by very quickly- and were entertaining really-

[Bob434]

i dont remember that specific commercial, but do remember commercials with people ‘driving’ like that with no car visible- can’t remember now what the commecials were for- maybe the same gulf gas-