Tide Print Advert (1950s)

Question 1

When was it produced?

Answer 1

1950s

Question 2

Who produced it?

Answer 2

Proctor and Gamble

Question 3

What was the print advert accompanied with?

Answer 3

Radio and television advertisements to build audience familiarity with the brand
- used same housewife character’s who sang praises of Tide

Question 4

Historical Context

Answer 4

• post war boom of the 1950s
  -new technologies developed rapidly especially those in the domestic sphere
  (Vacuum, fridges)
  -related to the social construct of the “ American Dream”
  -soaps were advertised in melodramas watched by women “ soap operas”

Question 5

How was the audience of the time targeted by this advert?

Answer 5

• Women sole domestic purpose in the home
• affluent to lower-middle class
• offered women domestic perfection “ world’s whitest wash”
• new and exciting by use of strong primary colours
• hyperbolic language use and exclamation marks make the product seem an essential to buy “NO OTHER WASHING PRODUCT KNOWN- WILL GET YOUR WASH AS CLEAN AS TIDE”
• endorsement of Good Housekeeping magazine would’ve related to the target audience and further convinced them of the effectiveness of the product

Question 6

Good Housekeeping “ Living Electrically in 1956”

Answer 6

Reinforcing the importance of the changes in the domestic sphere for women
-advances in domestic appliance technology are also illustrated in the following advert for whirlpool washers which “ everyone wants”

Question 7

Aspects of the Print

Answer 7

• two women talking to each other was a common convention of washing powder adverts of this time
• advert uses women of the same demographic as the audience, thus creating familiarity between the audience and the brand( credibility)
• a lot more information on this copy than what we would expect to see in more modern ones ( due to technological and societal shifts)

Question 8

Social and Cultural context

Answer 8

• despite women taking on Male roles( land girls , driving buses) during the war , after the war they took back on their domestic role running the home
• cleaning products still largely targeted at women
• inflation was low giving people disposable income, the sales of these products rose by 70% in the 1950s
• reached wider audience due to television sales

Question 9

Gerbner’s CULTIVATION THEORY

Answer 9

Exposure to repeated patterns of representation over long periods of time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world by cultivation their opinions and views

• all women should want the “ whitest wash”
• you just buy tide if you want clean washing
• you will be happy ( smiling women ) and reach your dreams by buying tide