Since advertising began to take shape in the 16th century, the way we get our message out to consumers has changed drastically as technology and society continue to evolve. The advent of the modern internet in the late 20th century propelled us into the digital age. Though the digital world has proven to be a successful means to advertise, there is still much we can learn from vintage advertisements and successful campaigns of the past.
One of the most effective components of vintage advertising is its ability to render feelings of nostalgia. Nostalgia marketing is a powerful tool, and especially effective in marketing to millennials as it conjures up feelings of the past, feelings of comfort and ease that ultimately help in selling a product or service. Even as technology and new media are introduced, nostalgia remains an essential human component, and thus something that marketers can utilize to sell their brand.
Aside from notalgia, there are a handful of vintage advertising techniques and methods that are still useful in modern marketing. Invaluable created an infographic that details some of these, and simultaneously showcases successful campaigns of the past as examples. Below are some of the core elements in which they discuss.
- Simplicity: Volkswagen’s “Think Small” campaign, which was released in 1960, helped revolutionize this “less is more” concept. Their ad strayed away from big, flashy components and instead used stark, unretouched, black-and-white photographs to get their message across… and it worked.
- Long Copy: Lengthy blocks of text were very prominent in vintage ads and were used to better describe benefits and advantages of a product in greater detail. Such was the case in Cadillac’s 1915 ad, “The Penalty of Leadership” which was over 400 words in length and one of the most successful ads in the history of the company.
- Big Headlines: Big, bold headlines was a must in vintage ads, and can still be used today with the right finessing. These attention-grabbing headlines are useful in drawing your audience’s immediate attention.
- Bright Imagery: Much like the iconic Coca-Cola ads that drew upon bright visuals, color can play an important role in advertising. The vibrancy can affect customers’ buying mood.
By utilizing these core elements that were so prominent in vintage advertising campaigns of the past, you can latch onto a key component inherent in all consumers: feelings of nostalgia. Draw inspiration from the successful marketing campaigns of the past, and incorporate them into your modern ads to fuse the successes of both eras.
Graphic courtesy of https://www.invaluable.com/
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