Ten Ridiculous 1960s TV Ads

Page 1 of 2

This story is a part of our Mad Men Takeover.

—

The 1960s saw the onset of mass consumerism in America, aided by the fact that many households owned television sets by the start of the decade and corporations were eager to manipulate commercial breaks to their advantage. While the men of Sterling Cooper work to make successful advertising campaigns on Mad Men, the 1960s left us with some memorable television ads, many of which seem ridiculously outdated now. From PSAs to the introduction of the Ken doll, below are 10 TV ads we are glad went out of fashion along with bellbottom jeans.

Colt 45 Malt Liquor
National Brewing Company brought Colt 45 onto the scene in 1963, and even today, Colt 45 offers “a completely unique experience.” We don’t think that’s how they meant it, exactly.

Mountain Dew
At some point in the past 50 years, Mountain Dew’s pop-culture connotation shifted dramatically from being a hillbilly drink “with real mountain flavor” to its new role as the drink of choice for NBA players and those looking for a jolt of caffeine (most notably, Steven Seagal).

Heinz Pickles
Talk about an extreme reaction. This commercial makes the list of Best YouTube Freak-Outs, joining Bill O’Reilly and somebody’s last day at the office.

Glo-Coat Floor Wax
From the YouTube uploader: “Glo-Coat. For housewives on LSD.”

Tareyton Cigarettes
Tareyton cigarettes: for those who would rather fight than switch? Egads: