40 Of The Most Creative Vintage Ads That Show Just How Different The World Used To Be

Getting an old magazine or newspaper is a fantastic way to start exploring the past. See how people once used their language, what was included, and excluded. Memorizing events is all fine and dandy, but these don’t actually show how people would approach everyday life. Advertisements are a great way to approach what people liked and wanted.

Through the magic of the internet, we now are able to catalog and share all sorts of ads from the past online. So prepare to look into a different time as you scroll through, be sure to upvote our favorites and comment your thoughts on these truly vintage ads below.

#1 Advertisement For Bacardi Rum Warning Against The Dangers Of Drunk Driving (1986)

#2 Man Looking For A Wife In 1865

#3 They All Got The Vaccine.. Except Dad, 1958

Often, the 50s and 60s were referred to as a sort of golden age of advertising. It’s no accident that the hit show Mad Men was set during this time period when both the science of marketing and economic booms all came together. It was the first time brands started to really think about a solid image to create and maintain and companies started to spend a lot of money working out ways to entice buyers.

This “golden age” wasn’t just a one-way street of businesses realizing that marketing had its advantages, it coincided with a lot of economic prosperity in the United States, as more and more families had money to spend on luxury items. In general, spending was no longer taboo, as it may have been during the great depression and companies found that they really did have to compete with a whole host of competitors.

#4 Honestly The Graffiti Is Better

#5 Ray Ban 1998 Ad

#6 When I’m 64

Once you add in all the new possibilities for where and how to display ads, you get a melting pot of creativity. Radio had been around for a while, but soon marketing teams realized that TV was a great medium to promote something. At the same time, many Americans were purchasing cars and traveling, making billboards potentially more effective. The result is that creatives, from cinematographers to musicians and artists could all be employed to make eye or ear-catching ads.

#7 Remember Digging Through The Entertainment Section Of The Newspaper To Find The Movie Listings?

#8 Best Buy, 1999

#9 Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places

Despite the veritable buffet of possibilities, many vintage ads were quite classy and creative, perhaps a result of many of the best minds going into advertising. WV’s classic “think small” ad for the beetle is a good example of modernizing a pre-war car with an eye-catching, minimalist poster. It was also a clever way to stand out by not being more loud, flashy, or bombastic than many of its competitors.

#10 Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)

#11 Jester Wools (1947, UK)

#12 1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad

Curious readers can find a number of clever tricks used in the “think small” ad, including the way the car is angled to direct the reader toward the text. This text actually ends with a period, which was quite uncommon for the time, while the entire poster was black and white. This actually helped it stand out, as by 1959 most visual display ads would be in color.

#13 Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)

#14 Esprit (1980’s)

#15 With A Smile

Other companies started to realize that they didn’t just have to sell a product, they could sell themselves, as a brand. These days, this has reached such a position that there are consumers who will buy something not because they like the product, but because they like the brand. Apple is a prime example of this. The origins of this idea can be traced back to a couple of different examples, including the Cadbury Flake Girl.

#16 In 1962, Bette Davis Placed This Ad In Variety

#17 Cottonelle Colored Toilet Paper (1982)

#18 “Someday Roads Will Tell Cars Where To Go” Gm (1969)

This would allow a large corporation to suddenly morph into a more personified character that people might relate to and even like. Other companies would try to associate their brand with enduring, desirable qualities, like reliability and innovation. This also freed up advertisers to expand on what they could show and talk about, as the topic no longer had to just be a product or service.

#19 Daihatsu Hijet Ad From 1996

#20 “Is Your Kid Living In A Dream World?” Ad Placed In Ebony Magazine Encouraging Minorities To Pursue Stem Careers. General Electric, 1979

#21 1988 Penn Tennis Ball Ad Promoting The French Open

These days, companies can and do actively advertise to children. In the past, it made sense to target adults, as they were the ones with any real purchasing power, but marketers quickly learned that a persistent child could talk parents into quite a lot. Similarly, many young adults were already working, so they could be persuaded to spend some of their hard-earned cash on luxuries and entertainment.

#22 Pan American Airlines (1956)

#23 One Oregon Newspaper Clip Reads: “We Appeal To Your Civil Patriotism To Co-Operate With Us In Our Effort To Stamp Out The Spanish Influenza Or “Flu” Plague In Portland By Wearing A Mask.”