Next Stop: 1965

There was an incredible amount of buzz surrounding the season premier of AMC's Mad Men, which aired Sunday, March 25th. This chatter was rightfully earned, especially because it has been over a year since the fourth season ended. Viewers have been itching to see how the men and women of Madison Avenue will stir up more raunchy and dramatic entertainment. Newsweek was smart enough to latch on to this popular topic and mass following, and published a special 1960s Mad Men edition to bind the connection the weekly magazine once had with these driven advertising professionals. They also tried to imagine how a 1960s website would look (a bit contradictory...) and have created a temporary page over their original website to show us (it pops up when you go to the Newsweek site). 

The new issue features a cover story about the Emmy-winning show. That's not all. All of the advertisements in the issue are designed in the style that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (the fictional advertising company in Mad Men) might have produced. The ads are still for modern day companies, but readers might have to take a second glance to confirm it. Besides the blast-from-the-past advertisements, another extremely interesting aspect of this issue is the cover story, which was written by Eleanor Clift. She worked at Newsweek in the 1960s and attests to the show's accuracy (especially the relationships between men and women in the workplace... and the drinking... and the sex). The issue will on the stands this week (March 26th) and next week (April 2nd), so take a moment when you're walking by a newsstand to check it out! In the meantime, here are a few of the old-school advertisements that were designed specifically for this issue.
pictures courtesy of AdAge

Dunkin' Donuts really would have fit RIGHT in

An actual new model

The "Mayhem" character from the modern TV ads... so funny!

Tide ties in how long they've been around (1946)

I think it could be an interesting idea for a campaign. Instead of creating modern advertisements, an advertiser would place old-school style advertisements for the brand among the modern magazine ads. It would motivate readers to stop and spend time looking at the ad to determine why the advertiser went that route -- was it part of an overall campaign or a way to celebrate an anniversary? Either way, it's a creative tool to differentiate the brand's ad from the rest. It's a way to stand out. 


Interested in the advertising industry myself, I have become a loyal Mad Men fan and was sitting eagerly in front of the TV screen at 8:45 on Sunday night as I waited for the two-hour premier to begin. My thoughts? Well, I wasn't too impressed. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that there was no real bang. Nothing screamed, "Mad Men is back and it's going to be a CRAZY season!" Luckily, they haven't lost me as a viewer because next week's preview looked incredibly dramatic and enticing. Phewf!


POGS,
AKtually Ashley