How has the economy affected commercials?

[greekislandgirl]

Watching TV today, I saw a number of "signs of the times". Wondering if that happens where you are too? Here's some of what I saw today:

- Commercial for a newspaper with a special employment section with jobs in Australia, Europe, USA, etc (any other countries you can think of, basically!)

- A laundry detergent commercial that pokes fun at the "fancy" detergent bottles with handles, measuring caps, pouring spouts, and how if you buy their detergent, it comes in a plain old fashioned bottle, but is cheaper.

- An ad for a TV show that helps families that are losing their homes, by helping them get banks to give them more time.

- A commercial (public service announcement) for a national hotline for people who are considering suicide for financial distress.

- A commercial for a bank that, instead of talking about financial products, talks about how the bank is trustworthy, has been around for a long time, and has a lot of capital.

- A large supermarket chain advertising its store brand for the first time (instead of advertising sales on well-known name brands), and the products mentioned are flour, pasta, crushed tomatoes, cooking oil, etc., not luxury items.

- No car commercials (yay!) - haven't seen any in weeks. There used to be at least one at every commercial break.

- Commercials for baby products emphasizing that even when we have to cut spending in other areas of our lives, we shouldn't cut from our babies' needs because they are innocent and cute LOL.

- Commercials for converting your car to running on natural gas, and switching to non-publicly owned electrical company (there was a national monopoly until a few months ago).

[zakity]

Wow! I don't really watch much tv to see commercials, so I don't know what is out there.

[Joshin]

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I've noticed it with newspaper and radio ads as well. Sounds like we are going back in time I collect old recipes, and a lot of women's magazines and newspapers from the 30s, 40s and 50s have ads just like the ones I've been seeing these days (although new ones aren't as cheesy!)

Those old magazines had ads for flour, baking powder and sugar -- not a lot of convenience foods. Service business ads focused on touting their community reputation and promising honesty. Company slogans were along the lines of "Buy *whatever* -- The Choice of Thrifty Moms!" Lots of ads for do-it-yourself options back then, too, like clothing patterns or instructions for building outbuildings or barbecue grills.

Personally, I think the last couple decades were an aberration and things are quickly breaking down to a more realistic and sustainable level. The ads are reflecting the shift.