Television Commercials Yesterday and Today

Television commercials have changed their advertising habits since television first started. Commercials used to be entertaining little snippets with snazzy jingles you sang along to. There were prominent characters you'd see and instantly recall their advertised products. Today commercials can be miniature movies, sometimes difficult to define the exact product they're advertising.

Some of television's memorable commercial characters from yesterday that stand out are:

Mr. Clean, that burly bald man handing you a bottle of, Mr. Clean floor cleaner.

Mr. Whipple, and his please don't squeeze the, Charmin toilet paper.

Clara Peller, the gruff old lady asking, "Where's The Beef," for Wendy's hamburgers.

The Double mint Twins-wholesome blonde twins singing about chewing, Double mint gum.

Tony the Tiger, roaring, "They're great," about his, Frosted Flakes cereal.

The Marlboro Man, a rugged and handsome cowboy smoking his, Marlboro cigarette. Emma surrounded by her costumed fruit guys, talking about, Fruit of the loom underwear.

Little Mikey will eat anything, especially his, Life cereal.

The jolly Green Giant stands over his valley of, Green Giant vegetables, with a, "Ho, ho, ho."

The Maytag repairman sat around with nothing to repair because of Maytag's appliance's reliability.

Some of yesterday's memorable television commercial jingles that stand out are:

Oscar Meyer, "My bologna has a first name..."

Maypo, "I want my Maypo..."

Cracker Jacks, "Candy coated popcorn..."

Farina, "Little Wilhelmina eats her farina..."

Rotor-rotor, "Call rotor-rooter, that's the name..."

Green Giant, "In the valley of the giant, ho, ho, ho..."

Good and Plenty, "Charlie says, love my good and plenty..."

Yesterday's television commercials never exposed a woman dressed in her underwear. You'd see half body, white female mannequins adorned in a bra and panties, slowly spinning around. Today flesh and blood females prance around dressed in scanty underwear on television. Victoria Secret commercials consume the airways with their sexy models dressed in skimpy attire.

Female menstrual products and contraception products weren't shown in yesterday's television commercials. Advertisements showed hearts, flowers, or butterflies fluttering around. Today both products are openly discussed by confident, smiling women in television commercials, with products openly displayed. Male jock itch was discussed yesterday, but today it's not mentioned in commercials. It was considered to be offensive but women's yeast infection products are still on commercials. I wonder if this decision was made by a male advertising agency. In today's commercials you can see, "Smiling Bob," in his retro erectile dysfunction commercial, along with other commercials advertising products to resolve this disorder. "Viva Viagra," is the little blue pill song many consumers are humming along to today.

Yesterday's television commercials weren't allowed to show married couples lying in bed together, clothed or unclothed. You saw two beds in a bedroom with a night stand in-between. Sex was considered to be unmentionable, with babies being carried through the air by stork delivery. Today television commercials show couples climbing in bed dressed in scanty array. You can view couples discussing sex, implying they're having sex, and using sex aid products. Couples don't even have to be married to be in television commercials advertising sex or sexual products.

Yesterday's television commercials promoted cigarette smoking. Marlboro, Camel, Lucky Strike, Winston, and other cigarette commercials had their own snappy advertisements and jingles with masculine men. First men were only seen smoking, and then it became sexy for women to be shown smoking. Today cigarette commercials are banned from television, except to advertise the dangers and risks of smoking.

Yesterday's television commercials only had a few African-American characters advertising products. I remember Uncle Ben advertising rice, and Aunt Jemima advertising her syrup. African-American characters were based on old slavery images, never used to promote any form of sexuality or romance, only seen as maids or butlers. Today African-American characters are evident in a wide variety of television commercials, and can be seen as romantic couples. Even interracial couples are used today to advertise products, as romantic couples.

Television commercials today have advanced to the point of being award winning movies with marvelous special effects. The Super bowl game is watched for the game, but just as much for the commercials. There are prime time television specials which feature the best of the world's commercials. Still I miss yesterday's jingles.

The End