The 1960's were a time of change. For the most part, leading up to the sixties and even throughout this time of change advertisements still depicted a lily-white middle class that did not truly exist. Equal rights in hiring and promotion were pushed, multiculturalism and feminism became major forces, and soon enough Madison Avenue had to a dress this. Historian Stephen Fox states "Advertising has increasingly functioned more as a mirror than mindbender, responding to American culture more than shaping it" (Sivulka, 1998). As the Civil Rights Movement progressed, advertising reacted accordingly.
Advertisers tended to avoid controversy, and therefore washed out color, nearly eliminating African Americans from print and television ads in the 50s and 60s (Sivulka, 1998). One advertising campaign, however, turned this around. DDB, or Doyle Dane Bernbach, produced a campaign for Levy's bread with the slogan "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's real Jewish rye." These advertisements featured everyone from an elderly Native American man to a young African American boy, to Asian Americans, to a white police officer. All of the advertisements were simple, and the main focus was the smiling faces of a diverse America. After this 1960's campaign, more diversity began trickling to national campaigns (Sivulka, 1998).
Advertisers tended to avoid controversy, and therefore washed out color, nearly eliminating African Americans from print and television ads in the 50s and 60s (Sivulka, 1998). One advertising campaign, however, turned this around. DDB, or Doyle Dane Bernbach, produced a campaign for Levy's bread with the slogan "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's real Jewish rye." These advertisements featured everyone from an elderly Native American man to a young African American boy, to Asian Americans, to a white police officer. All of the advertisements were simple, and the main focus was the smiling faces of a diverse America. After this 1960's campaign, more diversity began trickling to national campaigns (Sivulka, 1998).
However, there was still a long way to go. Sponsoring television shows with African Americans was next to impossible, and in 1964 General Motors threatened withdrawal of sponsorship over a TV show featuring an African American guest star. Even by 1968, Chrysler complained about a British star holding the arm of a black guest star on a show that they sponsored (Sivulka, 1998). Few major mass market advertisers made specialized campaigns for African-Americans, instead reworked advertisements with white models to replace them with African Americans, and ran these reworked ads in African-American media such as Ebony. This technique has yet to disappear, and some agencies still use it (Sivulka, 1998).
Ethnic stereotypes came under serious pressure. Aunt Jemima became less of a "mammy," and more of a proper lady with a head covering and pearl earrings.The gun-toting Frito Bandito, a creation of Foote Cone & Belding, was a hugely offensive Mexican stereotype that was retired in 1970. "Chinese Cherry" and "Injun Orange" Funny Face Juices had name changes in response to criticism of racial stereotyping (Sivulka, 1998).
Because advertising acts as a mirror to American culture, the Civil Rights Movement did have an affect on advertising. As people of different ethnicities demanded to be seen in ads, they slowly but surely started to appear. Advertising was in no way perfectly diverse, and still has a ways to go, but the sixties were a step in the right direction in cultural sensitivity and diversity.
Works Cited
Sivulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1998. Print.
Zieff, Howard. You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's Real Jewish Rye. 1965. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC.
Zieff, Howard. You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's Real Jewish Rye. 1967. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC.
Ethnic stereotypes came under serious pressure. Aunt Jemima became less of a "mammy," and more of a proper lady with a head covering and pearl earrings.The gun-toting Frito Bandito, a creation of Foote Cone & Belding, was a hugely offensive Mexican stereotype that was retired in 1970. "Chinese Cherry" and "Injun Orange" Funny Face Juices had name changes in response to criticism of racial stereotyping (Sivulka, 1998).
Because advertising acts as a mirror to American culture, the Civil Rights Movement did have an affect on advertising. As people of different ethnicities demanded to be seen in ads, they slowly but surely started to appear. Advertising was in no way perfectly diverse, and still has a ways to go, but the sixties were a step in the right direction in cultural sensitivity and diversity.
Works Cited
Sivulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1998. Print.
Zieff, Howard. You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's Real Jewish Rye. 1965. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC.
Zieff, Howard. You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Love Levy's Real Jewish Rye. 1967. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC.