Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a fond look back

“Advertisements are the folklore of the twentieth century.” (Stephen J.F. Unwin, Journal of Advertising 1974)

I know all the ingredients of the McDonald’s Big Mac thanks to a catchy jingle I remember from my youth. I’m also pretty convinced that I know how to spell bologna compliments of Oscar Mayer. Advertisements truly were the folklore of my youth. This quote from a 1974 article made me really think about how technology has changed advertising and our culture in the process. Advertising is criticized and avoided and yet, it contributes to the fiber of our society. Think of the brand names that signify a product. Kleenex is a brand name, not a product description but most people refer to all tissues as Kleenex. Ovaltine and its marketing strategy was a focal point of one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story. What has technology done to advertising and how will the children of today learn the correct spelling of their lunchmeats?

The DVR provides us all with commercial free television at the touch of the fast forward button. Newspapers are leaving the marketplace at an alarming rate. Advertising is changing to accommodate the new reality of the media in the 21st century. Text messages are replacing jingles. Flashing web site banners and pop up ads are cheaper to create than full blown television advertising. Companies have seven or less words to catch your eye on the highway billboards. Technology has surely made life easier for many, but it has taken the charm and cultural significance out of the advertising world. Old commercials and advertising campaigns from the past were almost a time capsule that let us look back and laugh at ourselves and our culture. The advertising of today doesn’t provide the same comforting, funny and poignant look at our society. It has become a victim of the times and has morphed into random texts and sound bytes that will not stand the test of time that the old advertisements did. Advertisements were the folklore of the twentieth century, but they will not be the folklore of the twenty-first century. And as much as I am guilty of fast-forwarding through all the ads on television, I will miss them.