had always featured attractive people, began to por-
tray its models as successful professionals as well.
Marketing departments realized that if they could
turn a previously mundane item, like a pair of jeans,
into a status symbol, they could sell more of them at a
significantly higher price per unit. The clear mes-
sage of many advertisements therefore became: Use
this product and become strong, powerful, ac-
cepted, and popular. Yuppies responded by invest-
ing their disposable cash in high-priced designer
jeans, colognes, alcohol, and cars.
Advertisers of the 1980’s relied on consumers’
subjective feelings to ensure sales. Ads encouraged
the belief that people could feel powerful, accepted,
admired, and confident about themselves and their
positions in society if only they made the right con-
sumer choices. To help achieve such subjective emo-
tional responses, television commercials adopted
the same frenetic editing style that had been pio-
neered by music videos shown on MTV and by
heavily edited news programs that were cut up into
many brief segments. This editing style helped de-
fine the new generation’s aesthetic. Commercials
thus came to resemble music videos, as they became
shorter but more plentiful. This resemblance was es-
pecially noticeable in advertisements for products
that appealed to young demographics, such as those
for Shasta Cola and other sodas, Doritos and other
snack foods, and Sergio Valente jeans and other de-
signer clothing. These ads addressed and captured
the nation’s decreased attention span by using
catchy pop songs, vibrant visuals, and quick edits.
The length of ads also changed to accommodate the
nation’s decreasing attention span, as America wit-
nessed the birth of the fifteen-second commercial in
1986.Technological Advances The 1980’s witnessed a
surge of technological advances that posed a unique
set of challenges for advertisers to overcome. With a
decline in the popularity of newspapers, advertisers
began to look to other vehicles to distribute their
messages, redirecting the large sums that had tradi-
tionally been spent on local newspaper advertise-
ments. Meanwhile, equipment changes and new
media choices in radio threatened that medium’s
historic ability to provide advertisers with a captive
audience of drivers in their cars during morning
and evening commutes. Finally, changes in pro-
gramming, delivery methods, and hardware threat-
ened the future of television advertising. Advertisers
could no longer rely on a limited number of viewing
choices and consumer loyalty to network lineups
to guarantee them viewers. Technology and indus-
try changes offered consumers new tools through
which to experience media and necessitated equally
drastic changes to advertisers’ methods if ads were
to continue to reach consumers.
In 1950, about 125 percent of households pur-
chased newspapers. That is, for every household in
the United States, 1.25 copies of a daily newspaper
were purchased. Newspapers thus offered advertis-
ers, especially local advertisers, a welcome seat at the
breakfast table every morning. By 1970, the ratio
had fallen to about 100 percent, and over the next
two decades circulation rates remained relativelyThe Eighties in America Advertising 17
Product Slogan or JingleRemington Microscreen
shaverI liked the shaver so much, I bought the company. (spoken by Victor
Kiam, who purchased Remington in 1979)
Seagram’s Golden Wine
CoolersIt’s wet and it’s dry. (sung by actor Bruce Willis)Smith Barney financial
servicesThey make money the old-fashioned way. They earn it. (spoken by actor
John Houseman)
Toyota Corolla automobile Oh what a feeling!
Trident sugarfree gum Four out of five dentists surveyed recommend sugarless gum for their
patients who chew gum.
Wendy’s restaurants Where’s the beef? (spoken by actor Clara Peller)