Advertising. It rules our lives somewhat doesn't it? We are willing subjects spouting off the catch phrases carefully researched in agency think tanks and soon they are a part of our vernacular defining each generation. Who hasn't gotten a particularly skimpy patty and joked "where's the beef?", or proclaimed "I've fallen and I can't get up" after a pratfall. I know I have. Maybe I'm just particularly cheesy, but we've all been influence somewhat by those ad dollars.
I can remember watching Bewitched as a child and being fascinated by Darrin Stephens and Larry Tate, two old school admen whose accounts were constantly in jeopardy. Lucky for them, Samantha "magically" saved the day, and their careers, at the end of each episode with a twitch of her nose. While those antics belong in TVland, there is some real magic involved in the whole marketing process. A pretty package can influence our buying decisions just as a slick poster or magazine advertisement can deserve the same reverence as any well crafted piece of art.
It is with this appreciation that I take a look around the store and notice the designs of the past. Some of the icons are still in use today, such as the Borden Cow. Others have faded into memory, only to be awakened when they they are jolted out of our subconscious. That's what browsing through these marketing relics of long ago has done for me. It brings those characters back to life, vibrant as ever ready to be appreciated by a new generation.
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