Analysis of Wartime advertisements
In wartime, the content and focus of advertising aiming at student would change drastically from daily needs to military factors. Not only the products found ways to establish their patriotism, but also the rapid emergence of wartime recruitment propaganda occupied most of the pages in the student newspaper. The juxitaposition of World War II and Vietnam War leads to a huge influx of wartime advertisements owing to different purposes.
The 1942 “Buy American Bond” advertisement was created in 1942, which was during World War II, and was produced in the states. In the picture, a man was holding a gun and looking upwards with texts focusing on “victory” and “patriotism”. It was distributed all over the states to encourage the citizens to show patriotism and support war efforts. The advertisement would influence the patriotic students and the students would in turn purchase the war bond. In order to understand the Bond advertisement, it is important to take a glimpse of its history. Defense Bonds were originally issued on May 1, 1941, and were renamed War Bonds after the United States entered the war in December 1941. Bonds were sold in values ranging from $25 to $1000, with the goal of making them affordable to everyone. Stamps may be purchased for ten cents and placed in special albums. When the albums were full, they were redeemed for a bond. Teenagers were especially fond of war stamps. (Sundin, 2020) Being the targeted consumers of American Bond, students in Polytechnic Institute might be busy with school and entertainment, but if they see this bond advertisement it may inspire them to be patriotic and use the money spent on entertainment to invest in or support the nation's military affairs.
During World War II, war propaganda was pervasive and so did the army recruitments. In Polytechnic Reporter, it is easy to find a lot of ads for military recruitment and air force recruitment during World War II, which is also mainly for the advertising aimed at engineering students. Unlike ordinary war propaganda, engineering students are more able to bring highly sophisticated technical support for the war, such as the man in the picture clutching a newspaper in his hand looks like planning something. The advertisement also focuses on the power brought by wisdom as well as masculinity. In the text, the 1948 Army recruitment ads strengthened the career development of joining the air force, which would be extremely appealing to college students in Polytechnic Institute since a majority of them majored in mechanical engineering.
After a few years of the trumpeting of victory in World War II, people in the U.S. were ushered into the Vietnam War. The United States' involvement on the ground in Vietnam began with Eisenhower's administration when the US began sending military advisers to South Vietnam. President Kennedy followed in Eisenhower's footsteps, viewing Vietnam as a critical front in the struggle against communism. (Lawrence, 2008) Due to the different motivations for the wars, the focus of the recruitment ads was also distinct. Unlike the previous World War II recruitment ads, the Vietnam War ads focused more on the benefits of personal development that the program could bring than on monotonous statements of patriotism. In U.S. Army Recruitment advertising in 1958 in Polytechnic Reporter, the ads strengthened “14436 sophomores entered” the program and utilized several paragraphs to articulate the benefits of joining it. Students at Polytechnic Institute could learn about the prevalence of joining the military and its benefit.
These two historic wars are still vivid in the minds of many Americans, albeit for quite different reasons. People remember World War II as a victory of good over evil, but Vietnam was a gradual and terrible failure for everyone involved.
The Vietnam War necessitated the adaptation of contemporary military methods to the peculiar Vietnamese terrain, which proved extraordinarily difficult, meaning that new technologies were in need. As shown on the left, it is the Naval Aviation Recruitment Advertisement in 1970 in Polytechnic Reporter. The advertisement emphasized that “we don't hand over the keys to just any kid that comes along” in bold and capital letters. It demonstrated that the military at the time needed people who mastered core technology instead of the ordinary workforce. Students at Polytechnic Institute were well-educated to delve into difficult tasks. In other words, the diction and strategy this advertisement utilized would be attractive to them.