Most home products were marketed to women. It helped me pass my exam and the test questions are very similar to the practice quizzes on Study.com. He opened the first self-service gasoline station in Los Angeles. Some stores lured women in the promise of a luxurious shopping experience coupled with fancy decorations and goods while other stores sold large amounts of goods at lower prices with no luxurious finishes. Christmas and Consumerism, a Brief History. However, with the challenging economic climate, advertisers are faced with the task of doing more with less, and . While the digital age has given us many new tools, the rules of good marketing apply. Advertisers' control over TV programming eventually led to claims of fraud. An example a cooking stove was advertised a product that could limit the amount of time and labor done in the kitchen and more time to spend with their family. The 1950s are most often remembered as a quiet decade, a decade of conformity, stability, and normalcy. Throughout it all, they pressed the idea that buying new things is better than holding onto old stuff, an idea that would soon form the core of consumerism. After the end of World War II in 1945, American society, exhausted by half a decade of wartime rations and restrictions, was ripe for a change. People reunite with relatives, children stay up way later than they would be allowed in the rest of the year, and . Consumers would continue to buy when possible and advocate for more government involvement in the production and inspection of goods. JFK Foreign Policy & the Cold War | What were JFK's Cold War Policies? These advertisements used animated mascots and celebrity endorsements to highlight the appeal of an array of mass-produced goods, as well as television programs such as Leave it to Beaver that portrayed the idealized American family. Consumerism - The 1950's: An age of affluence Consumer Demand Spurs Economic Growth Rising incomes, easy credit . A false reality was constructed that showed Americans living in the suburbs with two cars, a television, two or three kids, a live-in housekeeper, and all while the man was the only one to hold a job. Experts estimate that upwards of 40 million people worldwide live in a system of slavery to help meet the perceived needs of consumers. In 1947 Frank Urich had a different idea on how to get gas customers. A sponsor could refuse to let a competing auto manufacturer's car appear in a scene or allow an actor to smoke cigars if the sponsor sold cigarettes. It all sounds perfect, right? Business and political leaders claimed consumerism was more than shopping: it defined the benefits of capitalism. All rights reserved. Buying Power: A History of Consumer Activism in America. She is certified in Middle Grades Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, and Math, and has 9 years of teaching experience in these fields. Bill presented new employment opportunities and income levels increased by up to 5% each year in the 1950s. Advertisers in the 1920's laid the foundations for many facets of modern advertising, but the 1950's allowed for unprecedented growth as Americans began to "spend their way to prosperity". This rising tide of consumerism was encouraged by the burgeoning medium of TV advertising, which in the 1950s was able to reach into the homes and minds of American citizens en masse for the first time. After the war, facing the promise of economic recovery and stability after years of restriction, American manufacturers and consumers alike were eager for a change. At the height of the 1920s, average Americans spent more and more of their disposable income on major durable consumer goods.1The U.S. consumer economy and stock market was booming throughout the 'Roaring Twenties,' with stocks reaching their highest point in September 1929.2The advertising industry grew to match. It became based on the idea of single-family ownership of a home filled with convenience items like washing machines and vacuum cleaners. But, as we know the more things change, the more they stay the same. With many new additions, advertising was able to exponentially grow and did so through the use of the newspaper and television (technological . Find 1950s Fridge stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Others were filthy. His place became very popular, especially among the men. The industrial structures that had first given rise to mass production in the late 19th century and been amplified by the need for rapid manufacture of goods for the war effort during the 1940s were now repurposed to provide luxury goods and convenience items for the rising American middle class. And in fact, the Marshall Plan was passed to help rebuild many of these countries. Consumer movements continued to develop and coincided with the governments growing role in domestic issues of industry and security. The history of American advertising is something that has always fascinated me. The target market were the millions surging into the middle class, and the preferred payment was credit, which was an important new development since the nation was prosperous, but not as prosperous as they may have believed. . Find the perfect 1950s american consumerism stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. There is a good reason why the 1920s is regarded as roaring 20s . All rights reserved. TV became the driving force for advertising. Advertising volume expanded along with the booming economy, and, perhaps more crucially, advertisers employed the new medium of television to reach their audiences. Initially considered outrageous as it was "race music". Some charged extra for children. They singled out underconsumption as a root cause of the Great Depression, they called for the construction a consumerist political economy and pronounced America to be entering into new era defined economically by consumption and driven politically by the might of organized consumers (Glickman). I highly recommend you use this site! With the massive growth in suburban populations, automobiles were needed more than ever, and were within reach for many first-time buyers. The great American dream! Selling in Order to Buy This created opportunities for rapid economic growth, and smart industries were changing gears to take advantage of this new growth. | Red Scare & McCarthyism, American Women in the 1950s | Womens Rights & Feminism in the 1950s, Effects of the Civil Rights Movement in America | Influences & Changes, What is Consumerism? With the advent of television in the 1950s, print media, radio and film were forced to rethink their approaches towards news and entertainment. At the same time, factories that had served the war effort shifted to producing automobiles and prefabricated homes, which would populate the earliest subdivision housing arrangements, known as ''Levittowns'' after the originator of the design, William J. Levitt. Americans did not mind this lack of goods because it was all for the good of the war effort but it often left them with more money than they could spend. Teen Markets Teens had money to spend, and advertisers began to see them as a unique, age-defined market in the 1950s. During the same years, young couples were marrying and having children at unprecedented rates. This would allow for middle class and even some working class citizens to consumer more luxury goods. Its amazing to see how much the visual aesthetic evolved as a result of the changing times. Let's take a look at the advertising tactics that brands used in the 1950 and 1960s versus today. TV became the first medium to make selling products its main purpose. As the population of the United States soared during the 1950s, median family income doubled and the gross national product grew by more than $200 billion. succeed. Ads for detergent, kitchen appliances, TV dinners and large-finned cars dominated the airwaves, according to Linda's Nostalgia Cafe. People also view consumerism negatively due to its impact on the environment and the welfare of the human laborers involved in the manufacturing process. Consumer advertising is a specific field of advertising, which focuses on the needs and desires of households rather than businesses. The discussion focuses on the interplay between consumerism at home and consumerism on screen - the 'decadence' which so incensed Murrow. Fashion at the time was influenced by the limited resources that were available. Budweiser's iconic Clydesdales first appeared in 1950s advertising commercials and can be seen today in holiday and Super Bowl ads. Between 1946 and 1953, movie audiences had shrunk by half (Cross). This increase in consumer activity continued into the 1920s, when the installment system, buying large items on credit and paying the cost over time in installments, was first introduced. At this time, the United States had one distinct advantage. Around town, teenagers took to cruising, a social fad that involved simply driving from one location to another. While some of these examples are so absurd theyve become funny to us now, others are nothing short of horrifying. Conservatism. When asked how she recruited new dealers to her Tupperware distributorship, Jean Conlogue noted, "We tried to fill a need for something that they wanted, like new carpet, or a new refrigerator, and then we would map out for them how many parties they would have to hold." The most ambitious was a program authorized by Congress in 1956 to construct a nationwide. The lure of the new medium and potential for wealth eventually beat out price. Consumerreports.org. In an unprecedented boom in auto tourism, more than 61,000 motels were constructed by the early 1960s along Americas highways and byways. With the things that defined "the good life" within economic reach, working-class people could achieve the upward mobility they craved. After the war, Americans were encouraged to consume and purchase surplus goods. However, the economic benefits of having so many people employed were obvious, and even more apparent as the first soldiers started to return from overseas and look for work. A major drawback was the advertising cost; sponsors were spending between $10,000 to $20,000 for 1-minute spots 10 times more than for radio ads, according to William H. Young in his book "The 1950s". Facts about the American Consumerism 1920s for kids. Consumption overall would rise during this period and continue to form our modern day consumerist society. var googletag = googletag || {}; 14 chapters | A thriving middle class was able to afford luxuries that elsewhere in the world were limited to the elites. Popular sitcoms [] Germany, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union had been devastated by war. Bill, the Marshall Plan (the European Recovery Program, commonly nicknamed after its developer, United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall) provided a boost to economic development by offering financial aid to the recovering countries of Europe to restore industry, infrastructure, and international trade. Each decade had its own unique style of advertising, but one period of time really stands in stark contrast to what we're accustomed to today. This was all actually really shocking even to the advertising executives who were making money off of the new commercials. But it ended with many Americans questioning the promises of consumer capitalism. 1950s Culture Advertising boomed in the 1950s because of America's culture at the time and TV's massive reach. Movies, records, and television spurred sales of products through advertising and product placement. Stores carried everything from portable televisions and pocket-sized radios to space-age toys and plastic dinnerware sets. Consumer consumption peaked at a historically high level. Jobs were plentiful, wages were higher, and because of the lack of consumer goodsduring the war, Americans were eager to spend. Many of these mom and pop stations would offer free postcards, key chains, toys and sodas for the kids, S&H Green stamps and of course maps. End of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles & the League of Nations. Families would meet these needs by purchasing things on credit. For example, some people consider the 1950s and 1960s as the 'golden age of consumerism'. But as the end of the war approached, there was the very real question of what to do now. Within this time frame of 1930 to 1960, discount stores targeting shoppers who wanted good products for good prices were created. At war's end, the items people most desired included televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters, and vacuum cleaners: the machines that would help them modernizetheir lives. Consumerism on TV: Popular Media from the 1950s to the Present. Television and consumerism In the 1950s the nature of advertising changed, and new critiques of advertising and consumption emerged. An error occurred trying to load this video. Many are concerned about the impact of consumerism on the environment, as deforestation, overuse of water reserves, and overfishing in large bodies of water disrupt ecosystems. Techniques that are effective now differ dramatically from techniques used in the 1950's. These differences are advertisers attempt at staying relevant to the audience . Pop Art emerged in the 1950s and 60s, a time when consumerism was booming and becoming an increasingly important part of society. Historian Elaine Tyler May noted, "The values associated with domestic spending upheld traditional American concerns with pragmatism and morality, rather than opulence and luxury. Advertising also contributed to radio's and TV's most successful eras. 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