Product Details

• Actors: Artist Not Provided
• Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, Flash, Full length, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Restored, NTSC
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A2ZCDS.com
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2005
• Run Time: 137 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BNMX42
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,824 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Studio

Presented in this DVD are 40 early TV commercials, which make this a priceless bounty for the adman, student or professional dealing with advertising and its enchanting history. View this exciting 2-DVD set and get the feel of a young and vibrant America as it marches ahead and becomes a world leader in TV Ads.

Media and Society are intricately linked. Media reflects society and society borrows from media which often helps shape it. TV commercials are the best examples of this. After WW II, peace and prosperity returned to the country and people were looking beyond their daily life struggles towards a better world. Consumerism was now a part of life and newer and better products were being introduced everyday and in every sphere of life through TV ads.As televisions became more common-place in homes during the 1950's, the emphasis shifted to programs designed to bring in advertising dollars to the networks and viewers became a "captive" audience, unlike the users of the print media. There was an explosion of consumer goods and brands - such as cosmetics, toys, cleaning agents and toothpastes. People now looked forward to being surrounded by beauty and comfort in their lives, not just necessities. They had the luxury of owning two cars, a "dream home" - in the suburbia - with a garden and a wide variety of quality products to choose from . Competition, between producers, led to competition between ad agencies which in turn generated better, eye-catching and crisp ads. Few were left untouched by the influence of this new-fangled mode of entertainment and advertising. These early ads spoke of exciting times that lay ahead. Animation helped add humor and greater acceptance of the message. It also allowed producers to portray actions that were beyond the capabilities of actors. The "Jingle" had come to stay. Even Government Departments were using television to advertise their "Zip Code" system.

Product Description

It is difficult to imagine life without a TV and even more difficult to have a TV program without a "commercial break." Every program, every channel spices up viewing time with TV ads as never before. It is a ‘win-win" situation for the TV channel, for the company sponsoring the ad and the ad agency and often for the viewer as well.

When TV commercials were first introduced, there was a novel quality about them. They introduced you directly to the products and explained their use and functioning. The audience was captivated by the information provided, which was cleverly designed to whet one’s appetite, and those "hooked" went out to buy.

Presented in this 2-DVD set are 40 TV commercials, which make this a veritable bounty for the adman, student or professional dealing with advertising, for it takes one through the pages of advertising history. By knowing the past one builds a solid foundation for the future and I am convinced that anybody who owns and examines the rare clips on this DVD will be suitably rewarded.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, April 26, 2006

By	Bart (Montpellier, France) - See all my reviews

I have to say I laughed out loud at some of the early commercials on this set.

Yes, the production values were "interesting" back when television was starting out - but the results are so funny it doesn't matter.

I bought this DVD on a lark just to see what it was all about and could not believe how silly television advertising was in primative times.

The ads are better than some movies I've seen lately.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy The Bundle Pack, February 8, 2007

By	M. Jirmanos "Amazon Junkie" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got this DVD as part of the bundle pack. I wish I had just bought all the advertising DVDs that way. I have purchased most seperately. The content is great.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Came From The 50s!, April 25, 2006

By	Ejaz - See all my reviews

I'm sure this DVD won't be for everyone, but it sure put a smile on my face.

I've joked with my friends before that when I watch TV, sometimes the ads are more interesting than the shows themselves and this just proves the point.

These ads are often hysterical and brought me back to my youth.

I'm sure that a lot of younger people won't get why they are so funny, but for those of us out there - you know who you are - who remember Snap Crackle Pop, this is outstanding!