Trusted Writing on History, Travel, Food and Culture Since 1949
Commercial history
A sampling of the wisdom of Americans from Ben Franklin to Cameron Crowe
THE IMPERIUM OF modern television advertising was born in desperate improvisation
It was 1945, and everybody needed everything. If you knew how to build a car, a house, or a washing machine, you could sell it faster than you could make it. Read more >>
The last few years have seen the growth of what is known as “comparative advertising”: commercials that, rather than flogging a product with simple hyperbole, actually name competitors and specify their deficiencies. Read more >>
×
Help us save American Heritage!
close