Tuesday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1960, from their “People try it … and they like it” series. The ad simply shows a glass of Carling Black Label being poured into a glass. I’m thirsty. But does that glass look striped? Like it’s a crystal glass with vertical indentations? Hmm. Something is making it look that way, but I can’t quite figure out why.
Monday’s ad is for Budwesier, from 1957, from their “Where’s there’s Life … there’s Bud!” series. Showing a couple presumably making dinner as the wife tosses a salad while her husband pours the beer, which she appears to find far more interesting than the salad. But what I really love is the ad copy in the top left-hand corner. “NEXT TIME you’re drinking beer, look at the label. Does it list the ingredients? The Budweiser label does.” Wow, so that means it is better. Barley, rice, hops, yeast and water. And the others that don’t list their ingredients. What do you think they’re using? Grapes? Corn? Well, okay maybe corn.
Our 101st Guinness ad is from 1950, and appears to be by an artist named “Victoria.” According to an auction website, it was originally “printed by Mills & Rockleys Ltd., Ipswich.” The ad features a blonde lass in a red dress playing the harp on the Guinness label, while a glass of Guinness awaits her, sitting on a table by her side.
Friday’s ad is for Ballantine Ale, from 1956. Showing an ambiguous pair of dudes eyeing one another, with frosty glasses of pleasure curled around each hand, who are saying — in unison, perhaps? — “That’s Ale, Brother!” And then there’s this great copy below. “No other ale … no beer … has such refreshing flavor yet is so light and non-filling.”
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1954. Here’s another way-too-happy looking salesman, with teeth so white I can almost see my reflection. Frankly — no pun intended — he looks a lot like Frank Sinatra. Perhaps that’s what ol’ blues eyes would have been doing had he not made it as a singer: selling Schlitz as a retail grocery clerk.
Wednesday’s ad is another one for Budweiser, from 1953. “When you know your beer …” you’ll grin like an idiot? No, “it’s bound to Bud,” at least according to the ad copy. But seriously, that guy looks way too happy.
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1950. Part of there series of “There’s nothing like it” ads, this one shows a couple on a fishing trip, by canoe, stopping for a picnic lunch. Their lunch, including the cans of Budweiser were in a cool-looking red metal Budweiser cooler.
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1944. With the tagline “Sealed with a Kiss” doing double duty; it’s an association Schlitz had been using in their ads plus the woman sealing the letter while the postman waits. As World War 2 was still going on, the ad adds another layer of poignancy since the illustration seems to suggest the letter is important. I think we’re meant to believe it’s addressed to a soldier overseas.
Our 100th Guinness ad is from 1959, for their 200th anniversary, which takes place tomorrow, December 31. That’s when, in 1759, they signed the lease for St. James Gate. Since I’m almost out of vintage Guinness ads, I’ll never make it to 200, so I decided to use it for the 100th series post. The ad itself shows many of the iconic advertising characters around the new anniversary label and the ad copy “My Goodness — a 200th birthday label!”
Thursday’s ad is for Coors, from 1977 — the year I graduated from high school. Showing a pilsner glass by a mountain stream, I love their suggestion. “Refrigerate to retain brewery fresh flavor.” Did people really need to be told that? I know Coors’ has been cold-obsessed for a long time, but were there people who were unaware that beer should be stored cool? Certainly we knew it in our household. My parents had a second refrigerator in the basement that always had beer in it, along with overflow from the upstairs kitchen refrigerator.
