"You are the product. You feeling something. That's what sells" - Don Draper


Mad Men has snowballed in popularity since its release to the screen in 2007, and if you're not familiar with the series - I wholeheartedly recommend you do so as soon as possible! Mad Men is set in the late 1950s/early 1960s, based around the centre of the advertising world in New York, Madison Avenue. Focusing on the character Don Draper, who is the creative director of agency Sterling Cooper.

The show is noted for its realistic representation of the advertising industry and accurately reflects the American society and culture of that era. Consequently, this involves fashion, social prejudices, sexism, technology, LOTS of smoking and drinking and of course, design. The success of Mad Men is undoubtedly found, not only on the publics fascination with this period of time and the way that the series is beautifully shot, but on peoples interest in the advertising industry as a whole.

Over the past 4 series, the show has incorporated many famous ad campaigns, some original and some fictitious - a few examples:

Lucky Strike - It's Toasted



In an episode, Sterling Cooper and every other ad agency are faced with evidence which shows the dangers of smoking, they can no longer advertise any health benefits related to cigarettes. As holders of the Lucky Strike account - Don Draper realises that all cigarette companies are now in the same position. The above advert wasn't used in the show, but they did recreate the conception of the copy 'It's toasted' - which is a statement true to the product, and is not something that other cigarette companies could now claim. Draper states, "Everybody else's is poison. Yours is toasted."


Belle Jolie - Mark Your Man




Belle Jolie is a fictitious lipstick company created by Mad Men, although the design that they create for this is not unlike popular lipstick adverts produced in the 1950s and 1960s. Here Peggy, the secretary made copywriter, disagrees with the male idea of Basket of Kisses, "Every woman wants choices, but in the end, none wants to be one in a box of a hundred. You are giving every girl who wears your lipstick the gift of total ownership."


Volkswagen - Think Small



During series 1, Mad Men touches on one of the most iconic and forward thinking campaigns in advertising, Volkswagen Think Small and Lemon. This wasn't a typical 'showcasing the product' type of advert, it was conceptual, clever and simple.


Playtex - Jackie / Marilyn Campaign



It was proposed that every woman was either a Jackie Kennedy or a Marilyn Monroe, and this is the angle that the account handlers took when trying to spice up the image of Playtex. Again this particular advert wasn't used in real life, but the essence and message is very similar to a campaign used in the 1950s.

If you have examples of iconic advertising from the 1950s and 1960s era, please share them below or post images on our facebook page. 

Alex Fisher @Orchard_alex


Images and Mad Men quotes from www.fastcompany.com

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