CE Ads From The Past
Fox News put together a slide show featuring old-time ads and in the mix were several CE related blasts from the past. Some are funny, some are in poor taste and some are just bizarre.
While I personally find it hard to believe there was ever a time that having the BeeGees as a product spokesgroup was a good idea, the good folks at Ampex evidently thought differently.
This is an ad for a Datacomp 404 time-sharing terminal, circa 1969. I couldn’t find out much about it online, but I am pretty sure it did not come with its own Elizabeth Montgomery lookalike for an operator.
Western Electric Picture Phone, first introduced in 1956. By the mid-1960s it reached this level of development. I suppose the designers were encouraged to keep upgrading this gizmo by how well the Jetson’s video phones worked on TV.
This tiny record player by Ohio Art looks like is uses a MiniDisc. If the game company had pursued this product line, we might all have been carrying ArtPods.
To view the entire list of old ad posters click here. I am particularly shocked at the Blatz beer ad that noted how the beer’s hops act as an appetizing, stimulating tonic for newborns. Granted, I never tried that with my kids, but I do know beer has that effect on me.
Sewana commented:
A million tanhks for posting this information.
Bob Williams commented:
Hi Doug
Great Stuff.. The AMPEX idea was founded on the fact that more albums went gold were mastered on AMPEX tape than all other combined. Stevie Wonder was a spokesperson for TDK but used AMPEX in the studio. AMPEX pulled out of consumer when the couldn't find a way to make money on VHS T120's when Bog Box guys ( prior to that term being used) were paying $14.07 each for them in container loads.
Bill Matthies commented:
Great post Doug!
When I was head of marketing for Pioneer back in the early 80's, an agent came by our CES booth with then unknown Mr. T in tow, hoping we would sign him for some promotion. He was in full regalia including the trademark Mohawk, chains, etc.
Mr. T just stood there, arms folded across his chest, while the agent suggested him as a spokesperson for our portables. I recall the (white) agent saying something to to the affect of how great it would be to have Mr. T, Pioneer boom box up against his ear on his shoulder, in our ads.
Something in me said that wouldn't be PC, which is interesting because as much as I can remember, we didn't think of things as being PC back then.
At any rate I passed and they went elsewhere, all just before Mr. T became famous in the A Team.
To this day I still wonder, who was the "fool"?
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