Many, many years ago - when I was a mere lad (so that really is a long time back), many products had 'boards'. I don't mean the manufacturers had directors - although they did. Nor do I mean they came complete with a large piece of wood - excepting flooring companies, they didn't. What I mean, is they had organisations which existed to promote those particular products to the public.
So, there was a Milk Marketing Board, established to support the cow juice industry. And, as you might expect, there was a cheese board (ho, ho - true though). Recently I discovered there was also a Microwave Advisory Board (MAB).
"Most advertisers have a craving to be 'on-trend' and utterly current."
There are many ways to track social history, but archived advertising is especially effective - and often, quite amusing. By necessity, advertising strives to reflect the times in which it exists. Most advertisers have a craving to be 'on-trend' and utterly current, the better to resonate with their target market. This has the incidental effect of holding up a mirror to society, or perhaps a virtual video camera, recording all that was new and desirable in a given era.
The advertisement that alerted me to the Microwave Advisory Board is from 1978 (when I was 13). Here it is:
Announcing the existence of the MAB isn't the only notable aspect of the ad. In fact, the most striking element must be the headline: 'Good News For Working Wives'. You don't need me to tell you that this wouldn't stand today. Indeed, it would be stamped on at the first opportunity. But as recently as 1978, it was still assumed that cooking in any household would be the woman's responsibility. The only hint of changing attitudes is the notion that the woman may have a job too. However, far from liberated, she is now expected to go to work AND prepare meals!
They say strong advertisements always offer a solution to a problem. That's certainly going on here. Having established that the poor wife has a career as well as the duty to produce food, Sharp (the manufacturer) offers the time-saving solution of their microwave; throwing in a cost saving proposition for good measure.
The length of the copy is also quite surprising. Attention spans were obviously more robust in '78 than they are today, because it's unlikely any client would welcome a few hundred words in their ad in the 21st century's messaging frenzy.
Finally, just take a look at the call-to-action in the footer. No web address, no voucher, nothing to download - just a coupon to complete and post. In return, MAB will send you a free book about microwave cooking. The sedate pace of this marketing process is astonishing. Before the consumer actually buys their Sharp microwave, they're expected to read a very long piece of copy, fill in a form, post it and read a book. Although, these were simpler times - and campaigns such as this were very successful.
And the Microwave Advisory Board? They're no longer with us. Fortunately, for those of us fascinated by the social history of creative marketing, their advertisements are.
Magnus Shaw is a blogger, copywriter and consultant
My thanks to Carter Collectibles for the archive ad.
