A Cultural History of Advertising

1949 TV commercial from Camel cigarettes.

"Bodovitch was one of the pioneers to bring modernist ideas to America.*
Design of the early thirties was conservative and lacked of radical experiments. This could be explained by the economic situation after the Wall street crash in 1929. Many companies felt the need to show stability and used trusted methods in their advertisement design....

As expected his work didn't go unnoticed in America. The photographer Ralph Steiner who worked for Harper's Bazaar, recognized the potential of Brodovitch as a designer. He introduced him to Carmel Snow, editor-in-chief of the magazine whom immediately offered him a job....Brodovitch created a harmonious and meaningful whole using avant-garde photography, typography and illustration. After being hired he asked several old friends like Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Raoul Dufy, Marc Chagall and A.M. Cassandre to work for the magazine. Cassandre created several of the Bazaar covers between 1937 and 1940.
Brodovitch was the first art director to integrate image and text. Most american magazines at that time used text and illustration seperately, dividing them by wide white margins...'

The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) Creative Commons license: Public Domain 1939, sound, 55 min, Technicolor, 35mm. 

"This drama illustrates the contribution of free enterprise, technology, and Westinghouse products to the American way of life. The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair pits an anti-capitalist bohemian artist boyfriend against an all-American electrical engineer who believes in improving society by working through corporations. The Middletons experience Westinghouse's technological marvels at the Fair and win back their daughter from her leftist boyfriend. Memorable moments: the dishwashing contest between Mrs. Modern and Mrs. Drudge; Electro, the smoking robot; and the Westinghouse time capsule. Production Company: Audio Productions Inc. Creative Commons license: Public Domain"

Why don't you pick me up and smoke me sometime?  Cigar a la Mae West. A classic animated spin on an old vaudeville act. Note: Poor Sound Quality. 

...Thank you to Vintage Ads and Stuff...

Produced by the United Fruit Company in the 40's, this commercial appeared only in movie theaters, and for over 50 years kept us humming its catchy tune. The...