Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Notwithstanding my relatively youthful age of 41, hardly a day goes by that someone in my household doesn’t refer to me as an “old man.”
Granted, I’ve come to expect this kind of derision from my children both of whom were born some 30-plus years after the last man walked on the moon, however I do not appreciate the term being hurled at me by my wife of approximately the same age.
The root cause of this problem seems to be my appreciation for mid 20th Century culture – television, movies, music. My daughters cringe and stick their fingers in their ears when I turn on the Frank Sinatra themed satellite radio station in the car. My wife simply changes the station. She also suggests from time to time that my idea of a nightclub is the lobby of a Delmar Gardens after 5:30 p.m.
Simply put, the whippersnappers don’t appreciate the finer things in life.
So, it comes as no surprise that video sharing services like YouTube have opened up a whole new (old) world of entertainment for me, and among the most enjoyable items that I have found there are classic television commercials. Over the last few weeks I have run across a couple of spots that simply blew my mind, and not due to special effects, shocking images, obnoxious humor or racy subtexts. The commercials were astounding to me thanks to the efforts the advertisers made to pass the advertised products off as something much more sophisticated than either likely ever was or certainly ever would be.
Both of the commercials are from the late 1950s. The first one stars actor James Mason. For those of you whose frame of reference for an “old time actor” is Tom Cruise, please understand that Mr. Mason appeared in such heralded films as “A Star Is Born” (the Judy Garland version), “Lolita” and “The Verdict,” and appeared in such unheralded films as “The Year of the Wildebeest” and “Hot Stuff.”
But I digress . . . .
The commercial opens to a shot of the debonair Mason seated in what appears to be a parlor. He is decked out in a suave sport coat, open collared shirt and an ascot. Next to him on a side table is a crystal ice bucket, a pair of double old fashioned glasses with a lemon slice and a bottle of what one would assume to be a quality spirit. From here I will allow Mr. Mason to do the talking:
“I like the unusual flavor of Thunderbird wine. It’s an exceptionally good drink for any occasion. Thunderbird has an unusual flavor all its own; not quite like anything I’ve ever tasted. I suggest that you try Thunderbird; it’s really delightful.
Shocking, no? While I find Mason’s statements that he “likes” the beverage and his claim that it’s “an exceptionally good drink for any occasion” to be somewhat suspect, I do give him credit for reiterating that it has an “unusual flavor.” Yes, James, but then again so does kerosene. Interestingly, the commercial never shows Mason actually drinking the libation nor does it show him holding it anywhere within three feet of an open flame.
The second commercial opens with a lively jingle and quickly moves to a pan shot of what appears to be a festive holiday spread complete with turkey, ham, all the trimmings and a sizeable punchbowl with containers of the product on ice smack dab in the center of the display. A voice-over speaks to the viewer.
“Ice cold Ripple is the new drink for lively people. It’s the wine that winks back at you - the ice cold refresher with twice the pleasure.”
Again, parsing these words carefully, the representations aren’t too far off base. If I was ever going to recommend the beverage it would only be to “lively people.” Offering it to a lethargic party guest is going to result in one less unoccupied couch until the following afternoon. As far as it being the “wine that winks back at you,” I have no doubt that more than a few Ripple aficionados will attest to having seen such visions, especially if they consumed it on an empty stomach. And, the “twice the pleasure” statement could also be true, especially if your idea of “pleasure” includes the modeling of lampshade headgear.
I guess what I am trying to say is that the brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, who produced both of these beverages at the time the commercials were made (as well as Night Train Express, I should add) either completely missed their mark as far as the wines’ intended markets were concerned or they were putting on an incredible charade to get consumers to believe that sophisticated drinkers were missing out on all of the delights that were otherwise being monopolized by cash-poor college kids, street corner winos and (a couple of decades later) Mr. Fred G. Sanford.
Half a century later, an ad campaign is running which reminds me just a little bit of these two classic commercials. I’m talking about Domino’s Pizza and their fairly recent, complete revamp of their signature product.
In a rather revolutionary move, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Domino’s overhauled its basic pizza formula, changing the crust, sauce and cheese blend and then advertised the heck out of the changes, putting quite a bit of emphasis on criticisms of their prior product. Some of the commercials feature Domino’s employees in starched chef’s whites, working away at the pies, sprinkling ingredients onto the sauced disks of dough from pretty glass bowls. It almost gives one the impression that Domino’s is now in the business of “gourmet” pizza – the key word being “almost.”
As Domino’s has moved forward with this campaign, they have engaged in head-to-head taste tests with rival delivery chains Papa John’s and Pizza Hut. This suggests to me that they are concentrating primarily on their “true” peers and not trying to pass their product off as anything other than “best in class” among the dial-and-dine pizza purveyors. In other words, they’re focusing on improvement without taking things overboard. We’re not going to see George Clooney in an ascot sitting in a fancy club chair while hoisting a steaming slice of double cheese and sausage.
I have yet to try the new Domino’s product, having had my fill of the stuff back when I was a cash-poor college student (which explains my ability to discuss Thunderbird with some authority), but I’m not ruling out giving it a shot in the future if and when I am stricken with a hunger that requires a remedy within 30 minutes or less. And, contrary to what my wife and kids may think, I will consume it using my own teeth, thank you very much.
Until next week, stay off my lawn!
Yale Hollander, of West St. Louis County is an attorney and consultant. Having grown up in a family with a lengthy retail heritage, he has spent considerable time on both sides of the cash register. He has been a business owner, a business traveler and has practiced credit and consumer law for more than 15 years. He is a student of the American economy. Check out his Twitter feed @YLHStLGlobe for updates and observations.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.