tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post1146864082091578048..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: The voice that lingersMitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-81051073377982606492017-09-19T03:07:11.496-04:002017-09-19T03:07:11.496-04:00Bingo. I love this post and your observations. I l...Bingo. I love this post and your observations. I like the ad. I like the tableau. Yes, I realize she is a model who has been directed to provide a look, a mood, but that's the point of effective advertising: to create a distinct mood or image to create a bond between the company represented and the consumer. Sure, we all know it's manipulation, but if someone is going to try to manipulate me into viewing their corporation a certain way, I appreciate it when they put forth their best effort. <br /><br />There was a series recently about the advertising agencies in the "Mad Men" era and there were little bits where they recreated some advertising photo sessions- or they tried to recreate those ads. I recognized each ad they were doing and it impressed on me just how tricky and providential it can be to get the right actor/actress to capture just the right tone and look. None of the ringers used in the recreations even came close to doing what the original talent did in the original ads, so all those segments fell flat, for me. <br /><br />All this is to say, you've hit on something about this ad that I agree with completely. It's a simple set up and yet very effective at conveying a warmth that I can identify with. I've had those moments when a phone call at a time I didn't expect really did leave me feeling good long after the call was over. tomovoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17094065368257956219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-587153417293385682017-03-02T16:04:47.432-05:002017-03-02T16:04:47.432-05:00If you think that was bad, picture calling interna...If you think <i>that</i> was bad, picture calling internationally (outside the US/Canada). If wasn't even possible to direct-dial until the late 70's, and as you can imagine, stupid expensive - even nights and weekends. Figure 5-10 times the cost, which you got billed even if the connection was (typically) poor or even inaudible. If <i>a</i> not necessarily <i>the</i> phone overseas rang, you got charged for at least a minute. And we're talking England/Europe, anywhere else even worse. Obviously you're not calling to say ''Merry Christmas'', pretty much life and death only.YIHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149048850538200399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-71054019818533882022017-03-01T13:50:50.313-05:002017-03-01T13:50:50.313-05:00Really enjoyed this piece - it's amazing how m...Really enjoyed this piece - it's amazing how much can be communicated - both intentionally and unintentionally - in a simple ad like this. What strikes me about it beyond your observations is the brownish-ness - her dress, the lamp in the background, the walls, the couch. I'd guess that was to denote she was working-class, as was the person who called her - so for them a long distance call was a special moment and not something to be taken for granted. Bell Telephone may have hoped other working class families would see it and be inspired to take the hit on their phone bill to see how grandma or Uncle Steve is doing. David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-88075412740373534272017-03-01T12:03:13.449-05:002017-03-01T12:03:13.449-05:00You do realize, of course, that the woman in the a...You do realize, of course, that the woman in the ad is an actress/model, being instructed by the photographer in how she's supposed to look as she's "taking the call"; in the same session, she could be just as easily expressing joy at a birthday call from her family, or hysterics at winning Little Lotto, or sympathy for bad news of any sort, or however many variations that the ad guys could come up with that day.<br /><br />During this same time frame, <i>Mad</i> magazine used to do elaborate parodies of these kinds of ads.<br />One in particular that I remember showed a middle-aged man in a motel room, making a call and saying the following:<br /><br /><b>"That's right, operator - long distance, person-to-person to Irving Finster ..."</b><br /><br /> And beneath:<br /><br /> <b>There goes crafty old Irving Finster ... bilking the phone company by making a long-distance person-to-person call to himself a free way to let his family know he arrived safely!</b><br /><br />The layout, photography, and fonts were an exact duplicate of the ad you've put up here; this was a specialty of <i>Mad</i>'s long-time art director, John Putnam.<br /><br />I remember the <i>Mad</i> parody from my childhood - I mustn't have been more than 12 when I saw it - and I got the point perfectly.<br /><br />So there too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-72299929987583752102017-03-01T11:50:55.634-05:002017-03-01T11:50:55.634-05:00Excellent column, brought back memories of not jus...Excellent column, brought back memories of not just the 60's but the 70's and early 80's as well.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05325464988638650891noreply@blogger.com