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What Happened To The Good Old Fashioned Commercials On Television?

B

Braves2005

Who here is sick and tired of the constant commercials about health care, insurance companies, lawyer representations, diabetic products, Pat Boone selling shower stalls for the elderly, ambulance chaser commercials, "I've fallen and I can't get up", etc., etc.?

Whatever happened to the good old fashioned commercials like those for food products, toothpaste, soap, diapers, etc.? It's been years since any cable channel has carried any commercial like this. So what's the huge big deal of all of the commercials about health care all of the sudden?
 
My memory...growing up in Los Angeles in the 60s - is that there were always a lot of commercials on independent stations (and the network O&Os during local hours) for vocational schools, insurance, and products for the elderly - Niagara Cyclo Massage chairs - Craftmatic Adjustible beds, etc. So I don't think its changed that much

This was way before the "1-800" era when LA still had one area code, and the toll free numbers to call were always "RIchmond 9-XXXX," and that exchange was used for years after all-digit dialing - well into the 70s. The announcer would repeat the phone number 4 or 5 times to drill it into your head.

One thing mostly missing these days is car dealers - the old fashioned ads with the dealer standing on the lot and walking past his cars, giving viewers the prices, equipment, etc. Cal Worthingon was the big guy of course, but there were many others...Ralph Williams, Chick Lambert, Nick Shamus ("Se habla Espanol at Giant Felix Chevrolet...") For the most part, the dealers are gone, and the few ads you see use footage provided by the manufacturers.
 
Yes, espeically those pharmaceutical commercials and those dangerous stunt commercials with Do Not Attempt disclaimer. Too common these days. If I was a Congressman I would introduce a bill to ban Pharmaceutical Advertising from television and radio (except Over The Counter ones) starting the day after New Year's Day like Cigarrette ads banned after 1/1/1971.

They need to bring back pantyhose commercials like L'eggs Sheer Energy (this time with Nina Dobrev, Miriam McDonald, Laruen Conrad, January Jones, Elizabeth Moss, Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, Jamie Lynn Spears, Savannah Guthrie, J. Lo, Cheryl Burke, and Julianne Hough in it and make it sexier than ever) and they need to bring back Pillsbury Doughboy talking, getting poked and giggle like in those old ads. Something I would like to see.
 
Ah, the regular gathering of the "Back in my day" club at the Shady Oak rest home. :D
 
I guess they don't run as many 'national' ads during local programming as they used to. Then again, pretty much the only time I watch a 'local' station, it's the ME-TV affiliate, which is loaded with the 'sitcom star with a message for those about to die' commercials!
There are still a couple of local car dealers(and other business owners) doing their own ads in the Bay Area, but not like it used to be.
 
ahhh....Debby Boone selling facelifts. Seems like just yesterday she was selling acne medicine. :-[

In all seriousness though, those ads which attempt to end-run the doctor and sell prescription
pharmaceuticals directly to the customer are not only annoying, they're dangerous.

Not only could someone suffer adverse health effects from taking a drug that they don't really need, but the cumulative effects of millions of people running to their doctors to demand them stands to bankrupt our health care system.

Your doctor should prescribe what is best for you based on your individual needs, not because you saw a slick ad on TV telling you to go and get it.
 
spencerkarter85 said:
... and they need to bring back Pillsbury Doughboy talking, getting poked and giggle like in those old ads. Something I would like to see.
Click to expand...

Why not remake those old 50's commercials like Gaffers & Sattler appliances, Snowdrift shortening ("Oh John.....Oh Marsha!"), Ipana toothpast ("Bucky, Bucky beaver!"), Westinghouse, Boston Blackie secret decoder ring (featured in cereal ads), ...and speaking of cereal ads.....hundreds of 'em.
 
Hmmm....because we don't live in the Jurassic period anymore? ;D
 
Reputable national sponsors stopped paying for daytime programming because of the decreasing return on investment.

Through the 80s, the top rated soaps were drawing 10-12 million viewers on average. In 2011, the top-rated soap, The Young and the Restless, is drawing 4 million viewers in a good week. Note, these numbers are not demo viewers, which are even worse.

Companies like L'eggs and General Mills have decided to advertise in other media, particularly magazines.
 
landtuna said:
spencerkarter85 said:
... and they need to bring back Pillsbury Doughboy talking, getting poked and giggle like in those old ads. Something I would like to see.
Click to expand...

Why not remake those old 50's commercials like Gaffers & Sattler appliances, Snowdrift shortening ("Oh John.....Oh Marsha!"), Ipana toothpast ("Bucky, Bucky beaver!"), Westinghouse, Boston Blackie secret decoder ring (featured in cereal ads), ...and speaking of cereal ads.....hundreds of 'em.
Click to expand...

I once lived in a mobile home with a Gaffers & Sattler electric double oven. Man, I LOVED that thing!
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
Reputable national sponsors stopped paying for daytime programming because of the decreasing return on investment.

Through the 80s, the top rated soaps were drawing 10-12 million viewers on average. In 2011, the top-rated soap, The Young and the Restless, is drawing 4 million viewers in a good week. Note, these numbers are not demo viewers, which are even worse.

Companies like L'eggs and General Mills have decided to advertise in other media, particularly magazines.
Click to expand...

Which is interesting, considering that mainstream magazines are also dying, due to the internet. Time and Newsweek will probably fold within the next decade.

One exception seems to be fashion magazine - my 16 year old daughter gets Seventeen and Nylon. Both are about 3/4 of an inch thick, and 95% of the content is advertising.
 
I definitely wasn't thinking of "Time" or "Newsweek" when I brought up magazines. More like "Women's Day", "Better Homes and Gardens", and "Seventeen". No, the magazine industry isn't a growth industry, but they aren't teetering towards bankruptcy either.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
ahhh....Debby Boone selling facelifts. Seems like just yesterday she was selling acne medicine. :-[

In all seriousness though, those ads which attempt to end-run the doctor and sell prescription
pharmaceuticals directly to the customer are not only annoying, they're dangerous.

Not only could someone suffer adverse health effects from taking a drug that they don't really need, but the cumulative effects of millions of people running to their doctors to demand them stands to bankrupt our health care system.

Your doctor should prescribe what is best for you based on your individual needs, not because you saw a slick ad on TV telling you to go and get it.
Click to expand...




Excellent point. I'm glad someone made it.
 
I think that some magazines will live on online. Those magazines that embraced the Internet early enough will live on. The only time I ever read Time or Newsweek now is in the doctor's office, and they're usually weeks old anyways.
 
M.J. said:
I think that some magazines will live on online. Those magazines that embraced the Internet early enough will live on. The only time I ever read Time or Newsweek now is in the doctor's office, and they're usually weeks old anyways.
Click to expand...

The magazines that go deep into an interesting or important story will likely be around for some time even as the average American doesn't read/can't understand/doesn't care.

The electronic media and its "story of the day" brethren are essentially nothing more than headline publishers.
 
In total agreeance with this thread... Has it really become that difficult to whip up a quality jingle, rather than depend on songs from The Who to beef up your commercials?
 
I'm convinced this is the reason DVRs took off so well. When watching live TV, I get so tired of my intelligence getting insulted and forced to suspend my believe in reality that some of the TV spots demand.

Bring back "The Real Wayne at Wayne's Auto Sales on Pio Nono Ave in Macon Georgia" any day!
 
DToTheJ said:
In total agreeance with this thread... Has it really become that difficult to whip up a quality jingle, rather than depend on songs from The Who to beef up your commercials?
Click to expand...

I don't know what the respective costs and time involved in getting a custom jingle written and performed versus licensing a well-known song from days gone by but it seems to me there might be other good reasons for using songs versus jingles.

Depending on what you are advertising and the associated demographic potential customers might connect more readily with a song that brings back happy memories as opposed to a jingle they may or may not like. Even if the commercial itself isn't a pleaser the music might keep people tuned in. Also, a previously popular song already has a reputation and is less likely to offend part of the demo or raise unforeseen issues.

A good jingle, once performed, tends to lock the product in to that music and becomes part of the brand (think Folgers coffee for one outstanding example). Should the product management people ever want to change branding it makes it all the more difficult and possibly more expensive. Slogans seem more adaptable. Jingles less so.

Just my two cents. As always, YMMV.
 
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