Look around and you'll soon find million examples of advertising. Books and food, cosmetics and clothes, furniture and design objects - it's all advertised and experts invent million ways in order to make potential customers to buy something. Some of such ads are masterpieces of cinema or design, some are rather humble and annoying. Some ads have become symbols - think of the famous Coca-Cola TV ad which is traditionally shown before Christmas and which has become closely associated with this holiday.
However, almost all ads present in our environment are made because of rivalry for customers. Companies compete with each other and they wish to attract customers. How to say that your products are better than others? Right, to do a good ad. A really good ad, I mean. So, it seems that only competition may make manufacturers to make good ads.
Anyway, in case of the planned economics, entirely regulated by the government, not by the market itself, ads are equally important. But their aim is different. So, in the Soviet times advertising used to have one aim: to promote some kind of services (for example "Keep your money in the savings bank!", no matter, that it's the single bank network in the whole country) or products (as we'll see on the following ads). Let's have a look at pretty samples of the Soviet advertising. I like these graphic images created long before designer graphic software became available. They are real jewels of this art.
However, almost all ads present in our environment are made because of rivalry for customers. Companies compete with each other and they wish to attract customers. How to say that your products are better than others? Right, to do a good ad. A really good ad, I mean. So, it seems that only competition may make manufacturers to make good ads.
Anyway, in case of the planned economics, entirely regulated by the government, not by the market itself, ads are equally important. But their aim is different. So, in the Soviet times advertising used to have one aim: to promote some kind of services (for example "Keep your money in the savings bank!", no matter, that it's the single bank network in the whole country) or products (as we'll see on the following ads). Let's have a look at pretty samples of the Soviet advertising. I like these graphic images created long before designer graphic software became available. They are real jewels of this art.
Jam is good for all children
On Russian, this slogan makes the rhyme. A good, healthy, red-cheeked girl, surrounded by fruit trees in blossom, is holding a big jar of apple jam in her plump hands. This ad is really tasty - a good pretty girl which makes everyone cheer up and smile, her red dress and equally red cheeks, a beautiful orchard behind her back - advertisers didn't need to expose the product in large scale in order to make customers desire to buy it. And the slogan - jam is good for children. It's sweet and healthy. And organic, we'd mention nowadays, but in those times nobody used to care about this matter.
Toothpaste "Chlorodont"
Some of us wouldn't call this ad politically correct. And it is not. We see an elegant black man with wide white smile he's achieved with the help of the toothpaste. I'll call this ad rather laconic and minimalist. No slogan, only a product and the result one can achieve via this product - the whitest teeth. And the exotic element too - black people were unusual on streets of the average Soviet city.
Narkompitscheprom of the USSR
Hot Moscow Burgers with Bean
50 kopecks
What's the most special in this rather minimalist and straightforward ad, it's the font. It's really interesting. The picture is less important than the price - I guess, a very cheap price for consumers ("only 50 kopecks"). That's why both a bean and a burger are made very humble in contrast with the big red digits on the black background. But I think, despite of rather symbolic picture of the product, this ad was successful - at least, you know, what king of burger you are to buy - there was only one, so you don't need to see it painted on the ad, while the price can be the main argument for buying that "Soviet fast food".
Ministry of Food Production of the USSR
Glavparfumer (Main Parfumer)
Guys are to clean teeth well.
Again, there is the rhyme in the original Russian version of the slogan. This ad kills two birds with one stone - it's both the promotion of the healthy lifestyle for kids and the promotion of the certain product - tooth powders for children (made by Glavparfumer). Here we also see advantages of using children's images in the ad. They are nice and cute, bright and cheerful. Their images are able to promote the healthy and hygienic lifestyle every loving parent would choose for their own kids. There is an idyllic countryside landscape on the background, a neat blonde girl is cleaning her teeth and applying the toothpowder on her brush, and the boy is watching her, eager to follow her example. On the bottom of the ad we see products displayed more closely - two kinds of tooth powder.
Glavkhladprom
Buy ice.
Ice keeps products fresh. Ask for it in all drugstores.
I guess this ad had appeared long before refrigerators were introduced to all households. Or, rather, refrigerators did exist, but not everyone could afford buying (or, as we speak of the USSR, "getting") it. So, main methods for preserving fresh products for some time were linked with keeping it in a cool place (in the special room in the cellar, or to hang bags with products outside the window in the cold season). Ice could make this task easy. So, this product was essential for those who wanted to eat fresh fish, milk products, butter and meat - here we see fresh and quick-spoilt products surrounded by the ice. I should mention here that the package design of kefir, the pack of butter and the bunch of meat are rather stylish too. And the angular font of the word "Ice" is also attractive. It's interesting that ice was sold in the drugstore. May be, only drugstores had the machines for keeping it.
No comments:
Post a Comment