thinks to take away:
- Key points of the historical narrative presented
- The contexts (historical, political, economic, etc) in which modern advertising emerged in the uk
- Aspects of advertising strategy
- Linked to the lecture Social Media and Communication that looks at the impact of New Media
- The importance of soap
THE PLOT
- Traces how large-scale colour printing technology developed
THEME
- Integration of art and technology
Advertising, The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Clothes On! (R4, 2009)
Robin Wight, 118 118, The Future's Bright, The Future's Orange
Pointed to William Hesketh Lever, Lever Bros (1851-1925) as a beginning
Bill Bernbach (1911-1982) first to combine copywriters and art directors. Famous for VW Think Small campaign
SUNLIGHT VISION
One of the many houses Lever had, now turned into a museum. Exhibition there all about Sunlight.
- Lever Brothers founders James Darcy & William Hesketh Lever (1885)
- Today Unilever, 900 brands, Ben and Jerrys, Bertoli, Birds Eye, Persil, Dove, etc
- Ubiquitous brand, part of the average consumers 'mental furniture' (Lewis, p57)
FIRST BRITISH TYCOON
To build a gallery and open it up for the public. Port Sunlight 19c villiage commisioned by William Hesketh Lever to house his soap factory workers. One of the richest men on the planet in the day. Amazing houses for factory workers to live in, especially compared to now.
Lever was born in 1851. Also in 1851 was an international exhibition. Crystal Palace, building made of glass in Hyde Park in LOndon. George Cruikshank (Etching) All The World Going To See The Exhibition
1851 Great Exhibition
'Colour printing on a larger scale was not practiced until well into the nineteenth century...with the publications generated by the Great Exhibition of 1851'
According to Hegarty 'An essential component
British empire was huge and richest country in the world at this time. Lots of colonies and control throughout the world. Owned the trade relations and economies of other countries.
East India Company. Owned most of the trade and companies in East Asia at the time.
In 1860s pre-packaging was introduced. Started with cereals. One of the firsts was Kellogs. How to print, fold and fill cardboard boxes mechanically.
Soap was sold in long bars to grocers, who stamped (with stamp maker) and sliced up. Lush
THE FIRST TABLET OF SOAP
'I was the first to advertise extensivley and pre package a tablet of soap... the result ws I lifted Sunlight soap to a class by itself. Lever in Lewis, 2006
BOOM
At this time there was a boom in advertising. Abolishment of taxes on newspapers in 1855 and paper in 1861
Made more reasonable to advertise in papers
News of the world ended when advertisers pulled recently. Clearly pays a big part, especially in media.
A SECOND BOOM
- Tech progress reproduction and colour printing and colour ads in magazines by 1880s
- By 1890s technology enabled contemporary paintings to be reproduced for ads
- Sunlight Soap Ad (1890) new type of advert, image dominated and it's colourful. www.advertisingarchives.co.uk
- Doing something middle class, washing fine porcelain, trendy thing to do for middle classes at the time.
- Target audience though was the working class housewife.
- Aspirational imagery, showing what you could be. Something which is even more prominent maybe now
LEVERS CONTEXT
- Height of the Empire. International trade routes were established
FIRST MULTINATIONAL
- Advertising transformed company from a local soap manufacturer in 1885 to one of the worlds first multinationals
- Largest corporation in Britian by 1930
'Colourful, innovative advertising was absolutely crucial to Lever's success'
So why was Lever's work so good?
- The soap mens extensive use of contemporary paintings in their advertising is a case in point (Lewis, 2008, p65)
- Used in Sunlight soap ad with copy 'So Clean'
- William Powell Frith 'The New Frock 1889' painting was used
- Juxtaposition of paintings and advertising, something modern
- White linen (sign), symbolic of clean
- Child (sign)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND @ TATE LIVERPOOL
- Infant mortality rate was very high at this time, lots of child deaths
- Children were a popular subject in both paintings and photography
- Signified joy, innocence, blessings, purity and life itself.
- Contect for Levers SO CLEAN ad
George Dunlop Leslie Alice In Wonderland 1879
A Dress Rehearsal 1889 by Albert Chevallier Tayler
Oil on canvwas
Bride (peasant) trying on wedding dress. Leverhulme used this for AD Poster in 1889, for 'as good as new' suggests passing down of dress from mother. EMOTIONAL STRATEGY enhanced by naturalism of Newlyn school (cornwall)
FIRST CREATIVE ADVERTISING
- Message was told in an interesting and innovative way
- Imagery provided a spectacle and entertainment, especially for working classes to whom it was usually aimed at
- By adding simple endlines, Lever managed to change the meanings of images to his advantage.
- Distinct from other advertising that had gone before.
- Encouraged consumers to collect vouchers and save for prints of the ads.
DISTING FROM OTHER ADS
Briggate, Leeds 1900 Photographer unknown Brears (1992)
ENTERTAINMENT
One of our clients is Uniliver who produce Axe, a product targeted at young males, the brand is about confidence - the one ingredient most teenagers need help with' (Hegarty, 2011)
AXE: The Graphic Novel. Online game and real-time novel. Interactive for consumers to get involved with story and in turn the product. Creative way of engaging with the consumer
Cracknell (2011) Late 19c advertising agencies sold space in newspapers through commisions/negotiations
Client created content. Changed with publications (US) Rowell American Newspaper dictionary (UK) followed-fixed rates to clients.
Agencies started to offer creative services 20c model
WRAPPER PROMOS
CAPTURE THE CHILDREN
One method beloved to advertisers was to capture the children. In 1890s, purchases of sunlight soap received free paper dolls with interchangeable outfits (Lewis, 2008)
TARGET MOTHERS
- Directed at mothers ensuring a lifetime brand loyalty
- Associations
MONKEY BRAND
Monkey Brand won't wash clothes.
ART DIRECTON
Gross suggested plantol should depict tropical climates and express the care that is exercised in refining oils.
A vision to disguise the forced slavery
Palm oil was one of the main ingredients (pure vegetable soap). It's even in cream crackers, cereals, soaps etc. More than you'd think
Dove... are the biggest single user of palm oil, in the world. www.greenblog.org
AD EXPERTISE
- Lever amassed and was among innovators of advertising expertise
- Advocated truth in asset; falsehood in advertising is a liability. Lewis (2009)
SALVATION WITH SUNLIGHT
- Many of his early ads emphasised that sunlight soap would save women from drudgery' Lewish 2008 p74
- Answer: washing day toil, solution; sunlight soap
- Palm oil in soap, made it easier to wash. Good quality product, truth
- Copy: A girl of 12 of 13 can do a large wash without being tired
- Spoke directly to working class housewives
- Improves their life, leaving quality time for romance.
EXAMPLES OF 1893 AD COPY
'home is to be the very dearest spot on earth. if the mother or wife brightens it with the sunlight of her cheerful smle, when things go right in the kitchen and laundry the good housewifes face is lit up'
WORLD DOMINATION
20c Lever used different international agencies.
Domestic and imperial markets Britishness suited all.
Royal connections, national and imperial imagery
Context of thousnds of ads trading on Britannia, Where the British flag flies, Dunlop Tyres are paramount '1920'
PSYCHOLOGY OF ADVERTISING
Advertisers, discrepancy theory
DISCREPANCY THEORY
Luc ad 1925 February issue
Discepancy between self and ideal image of self
Public leisure practices, bathing habits etc were inferior to those depicted.
Lever Bros Lux ads by mid 1920s
FIRST SOAP OPERA
Continuing dramas,
1930s radio (US)
procter and gamble led the way, sponsering o'neils with their soap
SOAP AND AESTHETICS
P&G promotions: held sculpture event at gallery for children. Berneys wrote about it as a fine example, harnessing psychological motives, aesthetic, competitive maternal exhibitionist
Strategy informed by sound psychology and
CRITICS OF ADMASS
Boom in consumption
Highly crticised in interwar years 'countless critics on the left apalled by products of capitalism and mechanisation
hausmann, Mechanical head "spirit of our age" Funnel in head, just to pour in information. Hausmann
ADMASS ADVOCATES
Hegerty: advertising creates more jobs
ROLE OF ADVERTISING
Lever and Leverhulme - same person
Fundamentals of honest business, will continue to advance humanity to brotherhood..honesty in advertising... is a cardinal pricinple in your country and in mine.. the advertiser... is building for thos
SUMMARY
The history Wight, So Clean (in library by Lewis 2008), Lewis, Sunlight Vision
Included historical, political, economic and technological contexts which enabled Levers modern advertsing to emerge.
Colour printing and reproduction technological developments 19c
Creative advertising strategy, art and copy
Advertising principles of truth and entertainment.
The importance of advertising to an economy, soap to imperialism.
Social media and communication, impact of New Media on advertising and creativity.
Remember in the beginning there was soap
THANK YOU!
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