The 1920s & The 1930s

Advertisement Assignment
Introduction
Advertising is often viewed as a mirror of society, as a reflection of the changing social,
economic, and cultural environment of the period. Society is influenced by technological
developments, social, economic, and political conditions and, as a consequence, impact
what is contained in advertising.
Think about it??? How might research into the advertisements of two contrasting
periods, the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, give greater insight into the
underlying economic conditions of the periods?
The Activity
You are to create 2 advertisements or promotional posters for an innovation of the 1920s
and the 1930s. On the back of your ad, you are to paste a (500 words) response on why
you chose to sell your product or promote your person/event in the way you did. You are
to explain why your ad will work in both differing eras, highlighting elements that are in
keeping with the way in which advertisements were presented in the 1920s or the 1930s,
provide information you gathered from your research, and share why you chose to market
your particular innovation.
The following instructions will pave your way to a level 4 piece of work:
1. Research an innovation or significant change of the 1920s or the 1930s. Areas of
interest may include technology, transportation, lifestyle, entertainment, etc.
2. Listen carefully as we read through the excerpt entitled Advertising in the
1920s and watch the video Popular Science of the 1930s.
3. Read this handout carefully, thereby ensuring that you will choose your visuals
carefully, recognize your target audience, and be mindful of the period during
which your advertisement would have been used: the 1920s or the 1930s.
4. Be mindful of due dates and carefully review the attached rubrics.
5. Have fun!
Visual in Advertising A picture is worth a thousand words
Communication by visual image is arguably the most important element in advertising.
Advertisers often try to visually communicate messages, rather than using an abundance
of text.

Think about it??? How many corporate symbols can you readily identify? Think
about automobile companies, sporting goods and charities. How many spokespeople can
you identify for various product labels?
Visuals in advertising do more than just capture attention, stimulate curiosity, and
demonstrate product features and benefits, they establish a personality for a product by
associating the product with certain symbols and lifestyles. The visuals serve to stamp
the brand identity in the minds of the target audience.
Before you begin to cut and paste, consider the following:
advertising visuals should grab attention, create an impact, and stimulate interest
advertising visuals perform two main functions - literal (provide factual
information on products or services) and symbolic (indirectly connect images of
products or services with meanings). See attached chart.
Advertising visuals should reflect the changes people want to adjust themselves to
advertisers use visual imagery to enhance or strengthen the message about their
product. (They can force a positive response for something that is basically
neutral. For example, think about ads for mens shavers.)
Background Information The Roaring Twenties
The economy of the 1920s saw a period of prosperity.
industrial production rose dramatically
the 1920s saw the emergence of a mass market
the common theme of advertising in this era dealt with issues of lifestyle and
image.
Advertisement visuals performed symbolic functions
Background Information The Great Depression
the Roaring Twenties ends on Black Tuesday, October 29,
almost everyone was affected by the Great Depression that followed, including
advertisers who saw their budgets plummet
Think about it??? If you became unemployed and have, therefore, lost your
disposable income, how would you feel about being exposed to advertisements? Would
you think it a waste of money? Would you be insulted?

 color and illustrations were replaced with heavy text in multiple fonts to grab
attention.
Louder headlines and exaggerations appealed to emotions
Advertisements played on consumers increased economic and personal
insecurities (hard-sell approach).
Advertisements looked depressed compared to the lavish, colorful, and
imaginative ads of the 1920s.
Advertisement visuals performed literal functions.

Background Information The 1920s & the 1930s

The use of photographs and illustrations differed during the 1920s and 1930s
In the 1920s more ads used illustrations than photographs, whereas in the 1930s
the number of ads using photographs rose.

Think about it??? In a time of depression, which visuals would be more suitable
photographs or illustrations? Why?

The use of photographs spread as the need for realism increased

In the 1930s people are thinking less about lifestyle and more about price and
product characteristics (advantages, features vs. competitors, etc.). They wanted
a direct message!
Also, production costs are lessened with the use of photographs

Charts and Rubrics

Literal Visuals

Symbolic Visuals

Identification relays the brand name, logo Association the product is attached to
or packaging
a type of lifestyle, a type of person or a
situation; often times advertisers use a
character or a celebrity

Description relays the attributes of the

product, the parts, what it looks like.

Metaphor a connection made with a

substitute, often unexpected, based on
similarities of some kind

Comparison clearly highlights the

benefits of the product over the
competitors or a before and after
(improvements)

Storytelling drama, narrative

Demonstration shows how the product

is used or made

Aesthetics the details are shared

through art, patterns or abstract images
(i.e. Art Deco in the 1920s)