Milagros Hernandez
November 14, 1997
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Brief Historical Sketch:
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Marketing:
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Magazine Advertising was very important in the selling of refrigerators during the 1930's through the 1940's. It was through the use of magazine and newspaper that retailors were able to communicate to families that there was a better way of storing foods and preserving it. That new technology was called a refrigerator Another methods of advertising that retailers uses to sell their refrigerators was through the radio. Since television did not exist, manufactures and retailors and customers both relied on the radio, magazine and newspaper advertisement. The purposes of magazine advertisements are to inform, attract, suggest, imply, and convince the viewers that the person, place or thing being advertise is worth looking into to. It is through images and texts that make the marketing of products effective in appealing to viewers interest.Both the consumers and sellers of merchandise rely on the images and text to explain and inform about the quality of a product. The seller of the products want to provide enough information to get people to become interested in the product that is being advertised. The consumers rely on the information that is provided in the magazine advertisements to keep them up-dated about new ways to make life more comfortable and less complicated. This is one of the characteristics that I found throughout the ads that I looked through. Some other characteristics that I found being advertised throughout the ads were the new and improved features of refrigerators. For example, Admiral Company focused their ad on the "two appliances in one - Dual temp."(3) Others Companies focused their ads on "Refrigerator and Freezer combination"(4) So it was through new and improved technology that helped the seller of refrigerators create magazine ads that served as attention getters. It was creative ads that served to lure potential customers for the retailors to be successful.
Magazine are very useful resources for advertising anything and everything. Some of the refrigerators ads came from magazines like House Beautiful, Look Magazine, Life Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens. These magazine contained many ads for refrigerators and many other household appliances. Many of these magazines like the ones mentioned above were designed to appeal and cater to women needs. While looking for refrigerator ads, I came across other advertisement that convinced me that the magazines wanted to update and give women and men new ideas on fashions, new technology, and beauty. Women were given new and innovative ideas to prepare foods through magazine ads. The initial difference between magazine ads in the 30's and 40's to today's magazines was the amount of advertising. (5)
"There is no extravagance in an investment of this kind nor in the purchase of other household appliances.... A new refrigerators isn't going to dent in the family saving. Actually, it is a form of saving.... The Purchase of other household appliances that reduce waste and work, protect, and promote health, add to human comfort and happiness" (6)
This is a quote taken from Life Magazine advertisement for a Commercial Credit Company Baltimore - Credit Bankers to Americas Families I was surprised to find credit Bankers using refrigerators ads to attract potential customers. The ad's title read "It's for Tommy's Mother"(7). This picture was about two delivery men placing a brand new refrigerator in a home with a sick child there. The ad's purpose was to evoke emotion and motivation in families with children at home to buy conventional appliances like refrigerators for its benefits. Such benefits would be like the refrigerators beauty, it's convenience, capacity to hold a lot of food, cleanliness and economy. The ad was trying to convince families to use Commercial Credit Company to help them in financing their spendings. Not only was the ad trying to sell Credit Bankers to American families but also help sell refrigerators since it was a necessary appliance. Even though the refrigerator was a necessary appliance in order to preserve foods, not everyone had the means to buy or rent one. I think this ad did a good job in selling themselves and perhaps a refrigerator or two by convincing the viewers that everyone can have access in buying appliances with the corporations help.
As I looked through all the refrigerator advertisements what I saw the advertiser trying to convince the viewer that they must get a refrigerator if they already do not have one or buy the refrigerator that is being advertised. Some of the Companies that were advertising to sell refrigerators were GE General Electric, Admiral, Serval Electrolux Gas Refrigerators, and Frigidaire. Some advertisements wanted to sell refrigerators when they were first made. Other ads were trying to convince the viewers that their company had the best and newer, better refrigerator than their competitors. For example, the ad marketed by Frigidaire was advertising a refrigerator with a Meter Miser. This new addition of the Meter Miser was "suppose to prolong food's original freshness, color, rich flavor days longer"(8). The ad also had a picture to prove that foods did stay fresher longer in the refrigerator. In addition, two dish of beans were compared in freshness after seven days. The dish that was not stored away in the new Frigidaire refrigerator was old and dry. On the Other hand, the dish that was stored away in the new Frigidaire Refrigerator was still fresh. I thought the advertising strategy that was marketed was effective in attracting people to look into buying this type of refrigerator.
After looking at magazine ads about refrigerators I noticed that General Electric had more ads than any other company that I mentioned. I picked up two ads, they both contained the same information and they had different pictures too. The magazine ads were for the new 1949 General Electric Refrigerator. I can tell that this style was very popular by looking at the ads. Both ads had pictures of a mother with her son both smiling and happy in one and in the other ad, the mother was showing the refrigerator to her daughter as though the mother wanted to show her daughter the extra spaces room in the freezer.
As I already mentioned, all of the ads for refrigerators never supplied a price for the refrigerators. They all insisted that their refrigerator was going to help economize electricity and provide more food storage space. Even though I think it would have been helpful to see the price a of refrigerator, I think that the creators wanted to get potential customers in the stores to show them all the great features first then tell them the price. I assume that people were already convinced to buy the refrigerator that they would some how find the means to get one. Click HERE for a description of the cost of refrigerators in the 1930's and 40's. "The price of refrigerators has increased over time because of the changes in our economy and the new technology that has been implemented.... When refrigerators were first introduced they were extremely inexpensive due to the fact that they were kept cold by snow and ice brought in from lakes and ponds in the area. These iceboxes kept food and drinks cold which allowed people to experience refrigeration at low cost." (9) As a result, the important of magazine advertisements was vital in the communication between the sellers and consumers of appliances. The role that magazine advertisements played had a great impact of society because it served as a source of communication.
