Economic Factors on Campus Advertisements
Advertising is a key factor in supporting the economy through distributing product information to potential consumers using various platforms. In the early 19th century, advertisements were printed out to disseminate and provide essential information to the targeted audience. (Bocetta, 2019) By analyzing the content and business scope of advertisements, modern society can catch a glimpse of the economic situations in different eras. Polytechnic Reporter proffers credible primary sources to help delve into the economic background.
In the early 1940s, there were two major kinds of advertisements promoting distinct yet interrelated products: chewing gum and cigarettes. Tobacco made its first debut from Europe to the United States in the early 19th century. The figure of tobacco continued to be increasingly prevalent in the 20th century, changing from a marginal product mostly purchased by immigrants to an iconic consumer good in the states. Owing to the warfare, the tobacco industry gained continuous funds from the federal government to stimulate the economy during World War I and World War II. Nearly one billion dollars originally used for the Marshall plan went to tobacco companies. (Stern, 2019) The cigarette industry gradually occupied a major part of the advertising market by distributing original and ingenious advertisements. The picture on the right demonstrates a tobacco advertisement in 1940, which was launched by the chesterfield cigarette specifically for college students. It emphasizes the wonderful taste of tobacco and uses energetic and positive celebrity images of a famous pitcher and satisfying smiles for marketing.
Owing to the outbreak of World War II, most college students were required to serve the war effort and the college campus was no longer the home of the student market. To accommodate the dynamic change in the market, tobacco companies were looking for other tactics, such as collaborating with celebrities or showing war efforts. (Crawford, 2014) According to Crawford, the author of Tobacco Goes to College, the most popular strategy that cigarette manufacturers used was the celebrity effect and the sensory strategy, just as shown in the Chesterfield Cigarette Advertisement in Polytechnic Reporter 1940. The frequent and monopolistic appearance of tobacco advertising in Polytechnic Reporters represents the monotony of advertising for students and the prevalence of smoking among college students at that time; otherwise, businesses would not have targeted college students with special advertising. Moreover, specific tobacco brands, such as Chesterfield, were very sophisticated in their advertising techniques for students in Polytechnic Institute, which also fostered loyalty and familiarity with the brand.
As cigarette advertisements continued to have a strong and consistent presence in student media, another type of product, automobiles, slowly takes over the market in the 1950s. After World War II, the postwar economy started to rebound as industrial chains recovered. To affirm their prosperous lifestyles, Americans were willing to acquire houses, automobiles, clothes, and other goods. Automobile advertisements grasped the chance to give themselves a strong promotion and media exposure. The promotion centered on what the car is competent for since that is what the consumers were seeking. They tried to entice the people by appealing to their sensible interests. As the Chevy Car advertising in Polytechnic Reporter 1959 shows, the advertisement detailedly introduced the appearance and functionality of the car, enhancing that it’s “beautiful and dutiful”.
Thanks to the Highway Act of 1956 authorized by the Federal Aid, the interstate highway system along with the automobile industry developed swiftly, enabling a new level of mobility that pervaded American life and culture. Even though the economy seemed to be booming in the 1950s, the recession took place inevitably owing to several reasons starting from 1957. (Recession Tips, 2020) The main reason for the recession was the Asia flu epidemic, which was particularly deadly, killing an estimated 80,000 persons in the United States. As a result of the flu, worker supply was reduced, output decreased, and economic activity dropped. (Recession Tips, 2020) Prior to the onset of the recession, tightening monetary policy was another element that triggered the downturn. Inflation was not controlled by the monetary policy. Instead, the weakening of new automobile sales, which plummeted by more than 30%, was also attributed to tighter monetary policy. Falling automobile sales were enormous, leading to the bankruptcy of Ford Motor Company and widespread fear in the industry. The bankruptcy of Ford was seen to be one of the key causes of the recession. To combat the steep drop in automobile sales, some dealers resorted to hiring salespeople to work for 64 hours straight to sell cars. (Recession Tips, 2020) As a result, the car manufacturer sought all sorts of channels, including students who did not necessarily possess purchasing power, to promote their products. Students at Polytechnic Institute were a key target for automotive advertising. As engineering students, particularly mechanical engineering students, they are more interested in the use of cars and their iterations. Especially after the end of World War II, the economic and living milieu stabilized; therefore students who have been bored for a long time had a stronger demand for travel during holidays. The importance of cars as a means of transportation gradually increased. As a result, car advertisements became prevalent in Polytechnic Reporter.
During the 1960s, the mainstream suddenly changed from urban industry to exquisite products, including perfume and blazers, showing the hedonism and gilded delicacy of consumption trends. As the fast growth of high-tech devices led to the dawn of the Information Age, people became less reliant on industrial and manufacturing industries. In Brookfield's 100% Wool Blazers advertisement in 1964, the well-dressed man in suits and tie demonstrates his confidence and is surrounded by women. The manufacturer intentionally mentioned “as advertised in Playboy” to promote their blazer. Playboy, an American magazine aimed at men, was first issued in 1953 and gradually went viral during the 1960s. (Britannica, 2021) The merchant seized the hot topic of the time and used Playboy magazine as a marketing tool to attract college students. Polytechnic Institute, as a school with a majority of male students, would be more inclined to purchase such merchandise. In addition to the gorgeous suit ads, the Polytechnic Reporter of the 1960s also included perfume ads and various performance ads, which clearly showed that the standard of living of Poly students had improved a lot, which could not be separated from the economic development and political changes of the time.
In the 1960s, the Kennedy tax cuts did assist to boost the economy, culminating in a 106-month economic boom in the 1960s, the longest in US history until the 120-month expansion from 1991 to 2001. During the 1960s tax-cut-fueled economic upswing, real GDP growth averaged 5%, with growth as high as 8.5 percent in two quarters. (Perry, 2013) Although the economic situation seemed promising, it was actually dark: the start and outbreak of the Vietnam War led to a lack of workforce. More than that, the economy was transforming as a result of workplace changes. Automation was becoming a reality, posing a slew of new issues. According to both Hodges and Wirtz, 34 million new occupations were expected to be needed over the 1960s decade to fulfill the needs of new technology, or 50-60,000 new jobs every week. (Skene, 2016) As a result, the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer. Although students in Polytechnic Institute did not enter the workforce and had no need to bear these pressures, it is also clear to see the transformation of advertising content: gradually from expensive cars to relatively low-priced exquisite goods, which also implicitly illustrates the prevalence of downgrading of consumption.