Wednesday’s Independence Day ad is by the Brewing Industry Foundation, from 1942, part of a series of ads the beer industry undertook during World War 2 under the title “Morale is a Lot of Little Things.” It was one of the first concerted efforts by the brewing industry after they were getting back on their feet after prohibition finally ended around a decade before. The series tried to show support for the troops and help with morale at home. And it must have worked, because the campaign won awards at the time. In this ad, a man is having a so-so day until a woman sells him a flower for the buttonhole in his jacket. And that perked him right up, a little thing, but it keeps you smiling, just like a “refreshing glass of beer.”
