Friday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1941. It’s a two-color ad, using mostly red, but it really makes the beer bottle and glass pop. It looks this might only be part of the ad, it feels like something must be missing, and the proportions don’t look quite right, either, providing more evidence that this is only a piece of the original ad.
Thursday’s ad is for the South African SAB brand Hofbrau Premium Lager. It’s not particularly old, having been created in 1998, but since today is Albert Einstein’s birthday it seemed an appropriate ad for today. I assume it’s the same amount of beer, but because there are two different size glasses, our perception of how much beer is in each is relative to the size of the glass.
Wednesday’s ad is for Hamm’s, from 1949. The beer in the ad is Hamm’s Preferred Stock Beer, and it’s pretty clear that this isn’t the whole ad, that part of it is cut off, but I’m guessing this is the main graphic element. With the looks on the people’s faces, I’m not sure what they’re going for with this scene. Anybody want to hazard a guess? All I can say is there’s more than meets the eye.
Tuesday’s ad is for Rheingold Beer, from 1951, and features Miss Rheingold from that year, Elise Gammon. She’s riding up front on a boat, along with a dog, and waving to an unseen audience. I do love the tagline though; “It’s beer as beer should taste.”
Monday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1954. With the title “When It’s ‘Your Turn’ To Entertain…” and part of their long-running “What’ll You Have” series, they suggest that just what you need to to “dazzle your friends” is a Virginia ham with a special glaze made with beer. The ad helpfully includes the recipe to make the “Blue Ribbon Ham Glaze” to make your party a bit hit.
Friday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1955. I know this type of minimalist design was popular then, but it looks like a fake store set used by a high school play, not a national ad campaign. While I was born in the 50s, barely, I didn’t have to live through it, but it seems like a very odd decade. People dressed up to do everything. And the only thing that looks gourmet about tat shop is the name. I do like the tagline though; “Quality is always in good taste.” Too bad the second part of that doesn’t ring as true.
Thursday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1953. It’s from their “People Like It” series, and features a big hunk of cheese to pair with your beer. Even back then they knew that cheese and beer is a divine pairing, though I have to wonder if that’s the right beer for that cheese. Everything old is new again.
Wednesday’s ad is for Pabst Blue Ribbon, from 1953. The ad features Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Peck, who according to the ad served Pabst “in the Modern Bar of their Santa Monica Home.” Funny you don’t see celebrity ads for beer much these days.
Tuesday’s ad features Budweiser from, probably, the 1950, wich I say for no better reason than the can shown in the ad predates the pull-tab, which debuted in 1962. Oddly enough, everyone on the small sailing ship whose hands can be seen is holding a beer bottle in one hand, meaning they’re all sailing one-handed, which I imagine is no easy task.
Monday’s ad features Miss Rheingold from 1960, showing her skiing, and apparently saluting the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. They look way too happy, almost like they’re screaming. Also, on the left it looks like there’s a blizzard while on the right it’s clear, with the guy in the red jacket doing some odd looking stretching. Maybe that’s normal, I’m no skier. At the bottom of the ad, they mention two recent gold medals that Rheingold apparently won. One is from the Brussels World’s Fair, which I’ve heard of, but the other one was from the International Food & Beverage Exposition in Munich, also in 1958. Anybody know anything about that one?
