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Five Things – 5.8.17 – Some People Call This A War

May 8, 2017 ·

The Front Line

This 1960s training film on the merits of good checkout procedure places an awful lot of responsibility for the store’s performance on what happens in the checkout lane.  Indeed, they are “The Front Line” in the grocery war.  Seriously, they just casually call it a war.

I’m not going to spend time romanticizing the actual advice given in this film; it boils down to ‘make the right amount of change’, ‘don’t get tricked by crooks’, and ‘sell stuff at the right price.” The way they give the advice, though, is great: the hair and fashion are top-notch for the era, and the large green “test room” has an awesome visual aesthetic.

The real star of the film, though, is the reality of the 1960s grocery store and the golden crossroad of an almost clinically clean store design filled with beautifully packaged processed foods.

It’s worth “checking out”.  Get it? Sorry. Here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJCj87WxIec

 

Cadbury’s Smash Commercial

Speaking of war, this 1970s spot for Cadbury’s mashed potatoes is nothing less than a declaration of it from those smug Martians.

 

Cosmography & Astrology

This beautifully confounding print from 1686 demonstrates the various applications of Cosmography and Astrology.

King Vitaman Commercial

I don’t know who these people thought they were fooling. This is a cereal made of styrofoam that nobody would enjoy.

 

You Are Too Fine

Heineken’s got the right hook, here.

-ds

1960s, 1970s, design, news 1600s, ads, cereal, commercial, ephemera, infomercial, training video

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