7UP's "Un-Cola" campaign took aim at Coca-Cola and doubled 7UP sales, for example. In a media-oriented culture, marketers found it necessary to position a product in the consumer's mind, both within the context of its own merits and strengths and in relation to its competitors.Īs a result, the practice of comparative advertising flourished. In contrast to the "product era" of the 1950s and the "image/impression era" of the 1960s, "positioning" emerged as a primary ad strategy of the 1970s. And third, agencies were making continued efforts to increase diversity within their own professional ranks and among the populations portrayed in their advertising. Second, the public was increasingly suspicious of and disenchanted with advertising practices. First, early in the decade the business was experienced a threat from growing government regulation. This practice was a reaction to the "creative revolution" of the 1960s and indicated a marked shift to a preference for discipline and accountability.Īt least three intense pressures challenged the advertising business during the 1970s. Throughout the ad industry, the use of computer technology grew, reflecting a rediscovery of and growing emphasis on "empirical advertising"?research and fact-based marketing?during the decade. Marketers in the 1970s looked for accountability and efficiency in their ad agencies, and campaigns used "positioning" as a more scientific technique for placing ads in the minds of consumers. homes owning at least one TV set and viewing-per-home topping six hours per day, advertiser spending reached nearly $5.9 billion. The growing trend toward the use of TV as a preferred ad medium continued throughout the decade. Advertising was an integral part of American culture.īy the beginning of the 1970s, TV viewing had emerged as a core experience of American culture. The American Association of Advertising Agencies estimated that during the 1970s, an average American consumer was exposed to 1,600 ads per day, although fewer than 80 ads were consciously noticed, and only 12 provoked some type of reaction. In spite of an economy slowed by economic pressures and political unrest, by the middle of the decade billings at the top agencies and total ad expenditures increased faster than the gross national product, inflation or any other economic indicator. vulnerability to foreign oil imports also caused concern. Inflation, the apparent influence of foreign business and the visible success of foreign manufacturers in winning large portions of the American market further eroded faith in both government and business. Nixon, as well as the divisiveness caused by the Vietnam War, resulted in a growing lack of support for and suspicion of the government. The Watergate scandal and subsequent resignation of President Richard M. Political events of the 1970s also contributed to the decade's unrest. The gasoline shortages that started in fall 1973 had an enormous impact on all segments of the economy. In electronics&mdash:especially radios, TVs and videocassettes?the Japanese practically swept U.S. billings had nearly tripled over those for the beginning of the decade, reaching $27.9 billion. became the first agency in history to break the $1 billion mark in worldwide volume. Ad billings were flat in the first year of the decade, then took off slowly, growing in progressively larger increments after 1976, the year J. The 1970s began in the midst of a minor recession.
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