All Those Ads

Sometimes after watching a flashy commercial complete with all the latest TV hijinks, I have no idea what the manufacturers want the viewers to buy. The delivery got in the way of the product. Old commercials were much more memorable. In fact, I still remember some, even decades later.

Does anybody remember Ipana toothpaste? This was most popular in the 1950s. A cute little Beaver named Bucky would assume the identity of an engineer, a space cadet, or something else and sing, “Brusha-brusha, brusha with the new Ipana...”.

Who could forget Dinah Shore singing, “See the USA in your Chevrolet…“

Lawrence Welk introduced the new 1955 Dodge on his program. In the commercial, those beautiful cars came rolling off a big truck and indeed, they were pretty! I’d kind of like to have one today. I’ll bet it would be more costly than it was sixty years ago!

Alka Seltzer had some of the cutest and most unforgettable  commercials. A little animated guy called Speedy (see how even his name means quick relief?) came out with a big Alka Seltzer on his head for a hat and convinced us that any stomach upset was only a “plop-plop, fizz, fizz oh what a relief it is” away.

Many years ago, before we had a television, there was the Wednesday Night Fights on radio. The boxing was never as good as the commercials. One was for Hamms Beer. I am not a beer drinker but that company out of Minnesota had some mighty cute ads with memorable jingles. I liked the Hamms Bear and the way he beat an old log for a drum to the song, “From the land of sky-blue waters…” Is Hamms still around?

Another boxing supporter was Gillette Blue Blades. Ingrained in my memory are these words: “To look sharp and to feel sharp too, get the razor that was meant for you…”

More recently, Taster’s Choice coffee had a really creative way of advertising. It was reminiscent of a soap opera where two people met and fell in love over a cup (or more) of Taster’s Choice. It was interesting to see their romance progress.

With the exception of Taster’s Choice, all these ads were in song. Fun, catchy music.

It seems to me that rhymes or songs, or something to connect with the average consumer is the best way to sell a product, but then, what do I know? I had a really good idea for a commercial once upon a time and mailed it in to a particular company. They politely thanked me but said they had their own group of paid writers to do their work. Well! Huh! Maybe they should get some new, fresh ideas or dust off those wonderful, memorable, catchy old ones! Why they don’t is a mystery to me.