Imagery in the Commercial World

A short history of an ever-evolving, exciting and controversial relationship

Konstantinos Kontinos

Presented in the eventThe Athens Dialogues: Logos – Icon – Logo

Organized by The Onassis Foundation and the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King’s College London

30 November 2013

Contact: kkontinos@yahoo.com

Making sense of messaging

in the commercial world is

easier said than done

We will need some type

of compass

Status

Sensorial satisfaction

Social recognition

Safety

Personal fulfilment

BelongingIntimacy

Confidence

Personal progress

Commanding respect

Access to resources

Freedom

Independence Empowerement

Comfort

Sense of balance

Curiosity

AmusementPower

Sense of Control

Identity affirmation

Love & affection

Thrill seekingArousal optimisation

Homeostasis

But first, the easy bit – human motivation has been unchanged since the beginning of time – its is locked by evolution

It is the means that we have at our disposal that change over time. And culture shapes them – and dictates what should take priority

Culture is reflected in what we know

as ‘advertising’

but it is also

driven by it .

Every age has its own

distinctive cultural

center of gravity

Let us have a shot at

deciphering it

6

Ruler

Creator

Innocent

Sage

Explorer

Hero

Magician

Outlaw

Regular Guy

Jester

Lover

Caregiver

Order/Stability

Change/Mastery

Self-knowledge/ Independence

Group belonging

Wholesome, pure Forgiving, trusting, honest

Happy, optimistic, enjoy simple pleasures

Searcher, seeker, adventurous, restless, desire excitement

Independent, self-directed, self-sufficient

Value freedom

Thinker, philosopher, reflective

Expert, advisor, teacher Confident, in-control, self-

contained, credible

Warrior, competitive, aggressive, winner Principled, idealist, challenge “wrongs,” improve the world

Proud, brave, courageous, sacrifice for greater good

Rebellious, shocking, outrageous, disruptive Feared, powerful Countercultural, revolutionary, liberated Shaman, healer, spiritual, holistic, intuitive

Value magical moments and special rituals Catalyst for change, charismatic

Not pretentious, straight shooter, people-oriented Reliable, dependable, practical, down to earth Value routines, predictability, the status quo, tradition

Seek True Love, intimacy, sensuality Passionate, sexy, seductive, erotic Seek pleasure, to indulge, follow emotions

Clown, trickster Playful, take things lightly, create a little fun/chaos Impulsive, spontaneous, lives in the moment

Altruistic, selfless Nurturing, compassionate, empathetic Supportive, generous

Innovative, imaginative, artistic Experimental, willing to take risks

Ambitious, desire to turn ideas into reality

Manager, organizer, take charge attitude Efficient, productive

Confident, responsible, role model

Yearning for

Paradise

Leaving a Thumbprint

on the World

No Man is

an Island

Providing Structure

in the World

Adapted from‘ The Hero and the Outlaw’ by Mark &

Pearson

7

1920’s

1930’s

Economic crash- Depression

Women given right to vote (USA)

First Transatlantic Flight

Dance Crazes

First sexual revolution

First talking films

AlcoholProhibition starts

Film Industry on the rise

Sunny days are over

The post-war world strives to forget through fun and excess. Meanwhile, it is

totally open to new things.

Jester Explorer

Leaving the

past behind

1920s to 1930s

8

1920s to 1930s

1917 1923

The position of women is a front

where change happens fast.

The speed of change in terms

of values, aesthetics and

therefore messaging is astounding

9

1920s to 1930s

Amelia Earhart, 1929

Women start to be depicted in scenes of interaction with the

opposite sex, and, by the end of the decade as role models.

10

1920s to 1930s

Leisure and sensual pleasure are pervasive in the advertising of the era

11

1920s to 1930s The experimenting mentality also favors a quest for the exotic.

The stereotype of the era for the orient links it with unleashed instincts and sensuality.

Some depiction of the ‘exotic’ nevertheless are shockingly racist by today’s standards

Telephony ad, 1924

12

1920s to 1930s

The automobile and technology in general are depicted as a means for freedom and pleasure.

13

1940’s

Totalitarianism on the rise

Economic crash- Depression

Roosevelt’sNew Deal

Military Build Up

Dust Bowl

Start of WW II

Poverty, social unrest and growing global frictions

call for a strong leadership

Ruler

Sunny days are over

War clouds

gathering

1930s to 1940s

1930’s

14

1930s to 1940s

Getting a job and being safe became top priority.

As bad nutrition became a sign of poverty, ads that promoted means to get a fuller figure started to proliferate.

15

1930s to 1940s

Means for cheap, affordable nutrition became increasingly important.

16

1930s to 1940s

Propositions related to thrift and getting good value out of everything made their mark across the board.

17

1930s to 1940s

The need to be safe from danger and unpredictability

took center stage.

Law and order and a protected life

made their appearance in

communication.

1940’s

1950’s

World War II ends

Picking up the Pieces- Rebuilding of Europe

Start of Cold War

Arms Race acceleration

McCarthy Witch hunt

Picking up the pieces

Fighting the war and starting life all

over again over demand heroic

efforts

Hero

1940s to 1950s

Global scale war

19

1940s to 1950sWar paranoia gave birth to some of the most memorable communication.

20

1940s to 1950s

The position of women was elevated again after the 20’s. Instead of powerless housewives they now became an important part of the war effort.

21

1940s to 1950s

War iconography and messaging became central to the communication of practically every brand.

1950’s

1960’s

Advertising- Consumerism boom

Rock & Roll

Teenage Culture

McCarthy Witch hunt

Economic build-up

Sputnik Launch – start of space age

Korean War

Picking up the pieces

Fear of the other side Family values and

moderation. Mr. Average rules the game…

Regular Guy

Enjoying material

prosperity

1950s to 1960s

23

1950s to 1960sAfter the war,

there was a notable economic growth spurt.

Material possessions and getting it made, middle-class style became the

obsession of the masses.

24

1950s to 1960sNo serious goals in life made their way into advertisements.Depth was thrown out of the window.

Everything was about petty everyday material pleasures, elevated to a ridiculously lofty status.

25

1950s to 1960sThis throwback to family values-driven middle class convention was devastating to the status of women – as if nothing was ever won in the previous decades. The era produced some of the most blatantly sexist ads ever recorded.

26

1950s to 1960s

More of the sexist rant of the era

27

1950s to 1960sAlthough, admittedly, amidst this conservative rampage there were signs of the change that was about to come. Still, however the black family here has undergone the ironing board treatment, depicted as a middle class white bunch.

Rebellion

Man on the Moon

JFK Shot

Second Sexual Revolution

British Invasion

Vietnam War- end of Innocence

“I have a dream”

Pop Art

Psychedelia / Drug Culture

The world boils-

major cultural shift 1970’s

1960’s

1960s to 1970s

Outlaw

The old systems calls for its destruction. Nothing

is taken for granted. New spiritual guidance is

sought

Sage

Cuban crisis

29

1960s to 1970s

Danish Ad, 1962

By the end of the 1950’s, there was a notable change in the air – driven primarily by rock and roll and the emerging youth culture. However, conservatism temporarily rebounded and persisted in the first 1/3rd of the 60’s. Here are some 50’s cultural leftovers, recorded in the early 60’s.

30

1960s to 1970sBy 1963-64 however, all this was pretty much over. There were clear signs of a more liberal and less conservative outlook of life. The role of women gradually ceased to be depicted as zombies/robots.

31

1960s to 1970s

32

1960s to 1970s Young people and idea of ‘the future’, both references to change, took center stage. For a time there was a feeling that everything will look brighter.

33

1960s to 1970sAdvertising mirrored both the pervasive cultural change of the era and (less often) the shock at the face of it and the conservative backlash that tried to contained (but, by and large, failed for many years).

34

1960s to 1970s Naturally advertising appropriated the aesthetics, the lingo and the value references of the new era.

Even conventional brands jumped the bandwagon.

Disco

Punk Rock

Second Sexual Revolution

Watergate

Androgyny

3 Mile Islandaccident

Glam Rock

The world boils-

major cultural shift

The revolution loses steam. Only partying

attitude and promiscuity survives

the transition.

Lover

Forces of change

lose impetus for good

1970’s

1980’s

Oil Crisis

1970s to 1980s

36

1970s to 1980sGradually, fewer people cared to

changed the world. What remained, was the right to party

and follow a leisurely lifestyle

37

1970s to 1980s

Collective goals subsided. How you look, how you behave and how cool you were,Were seen as became increasingly important.

Pleasure-centered individualism became the norm.

38

1970s to 1980sIn line with the spirit of pleasure-hunting and promiscuity,

in-your face, overt sexuality was used to sell practically anything – in ways that we would find appalling today.

39

1970s to 1980s

More of the kind

Thatcher- Reaganomics

Yuppies & Power apogee

End of Cold war

Fitness craze

New Dance Scene

Dallas & Dynasty Aesthetics

New Right-Conservatism

End of Disco Era

Perestroika in USSR

The western world deals the

death knelt on the Eastern

Block1990’s

1980’s

1980s to 1990s

Material success comes back with a vengeance.

People gradually become power-hungry. Looks

matter more. Need strong reference points

Ruler

41

1980s to 1990s

Pop aesthetics and a playful tonality permeates the

communication of mainstream brands.

42

1980s to 1990s

Over-the top flamboyance and success-suggesting references are

the choice of more up-market brands.

43

1980s to 1990s

Physical power and performance took

center stage.

Mainstream macho stereotypes stuck around for a while.

44

1980s to 1990s Getting it made esp. in a business context became a cultural obsession. Marks of success were celebrated in advertising.

World Wide Web- Internet

New Dance Scene

Globalization on the rise

Millennium Angst

Breakup of East European Countries

Reign of Global Terror

Mega Brands

First Gulf War

The western world deals the

death knelt on the Eastern

Block

Triumph of Collage Culture

People strive to create a meaningful mode of living

in a chaotic world, by picking pieces from seemingly

unrelated sources

Creator

1990’s

2000’s

1990s to 2000s

Grunge

46

1990s to 2000sThough styles per se became less flamboyant, the aesthetic points

of reference became more absolute, verging on the

superhuman. It was the era of the super

models.

47

1990s to 2000s

Meanwhile, mainstream brands began to challenge convention and come down with products and communicational ideas that explored the limits of categories and expectancies.

48

1990s to 2000s

1993

It was the car industry that displayed the first signs of ecological concerns in communication – concerns that eventually would become mainstream.

49

1990s to 2000sBrands started to experiment more with the limits of cultural acceptability. Non-mainstream brands came into the limelight.

50

1990s to 2000sMeanwhile, and especially as the decade closed to an end, big brands pioneered campaigns and initiatives that attempted to redefine aesthetic and value codes.

What happened next?

Amita_The_Way_Forward_51

Well....The thing is that the historian of the future will have

a quite hard task when asked to describe the main direction of this era.

It is certainly easier to describe 'what happened’ in the 60’s, or 80’s’.

It is harder to distinguish a dominant Archetype.

This ‘problem’ is related to the fact that today we live in the epitome of a

Collage Culture

53

Gradually, we all had to learn to function through this

Many Distinct CommunitiesHighly Structured

HierarchicalLimited Access

Global CommunityIndividual Flexibility

DecentralizedUnlimited Access

PAST PRESENT

There are no true big movements any

more (political, social, artistic, musical,

etc.). Past things are rehashed, fused, re-vamped, repackaged

and re-sold.

There is lack of focus – many, usually

contradicting things happen at the same time. Different things are expected from us- we have to act upon

many different roles – all equally demanding.

Things happen so

fast- until one thing

is rooted, it is

replaced by

something new. There

is no time to get

really deep into

something.

The Superficial

rules supreme.

People have turned quite blasé-

Its difficult to surprise anyone these days.

They are easily bored and eager to move on to

something else .

They also trust brands less

The ability to shock is somehow lost. Extreme elements of culture are polished and co-opted by the system in a jiffy. Underground culture is

seen as yet another means to sell, if you

use it right – and brands just do that with unparallel ease.

The sources of change are not the pretty

much fixed points in geography and culture

of the past.

Internet and Globalization made

sure that our exposure to new things can have the most unexpected

sources.

Last but not least, people are indeed more ready to embrace change –

- but not necessarily because they consciously and full-heartedly opt to…

People in today’s globalised societies, are characterised by what has been described as

the Fear of Missing Out (FoMo)

– the anxiety that they run a continuous danger to be left somehow behind, and if they do

they are in serious trouble..

Revisiting & repackaging the past

Oddity, shock tactics & extreme irony

Globalised points of referenceAnd new sensitivities that brands have to cater to

No place considered off-limits for brand messaging

Attention deficit pushes for powerful visuals and minimal text

Technology enablers creating new visual languages

The future?

• Commercial messaging will struggle to remain relevant against a fluid, multi-fragmented audience.

• Messaging will be richer and more meaning –packed.

Cross-references to popular culture will be even more common –

but in many cases they will be cryptic as they will target very specific

segments of those who can ‘get it’.

• There will be a escalating tag of war between personalisation and

thus invasiveness, and the need for privacy. No clear-cut winner will emerge any time soon.

• Advertising will look less than what we know as advertising. Blatant, in-your-face selling will still stick around, but it with lower frequency - and

effect.

• Its controversial role will not cease, but advertising will struggle to

accommodate new types of sensitivities and fluid idea of ‘correctness’

• Through increased transparency, practitioners of nasty tactics

will have a harder time coping

• Advertising will champion

change for the better more often and more successfully

Thank

you!