A History of Creative Advertising

Lord Leverhulme

 Neglected area of history

 Robin Wight founded WCRS agency.

 Museum in Liverpool, tells the story of the birth of creative advertising.

 Still find Unilever everywhere. 'The most expensive real estate is the corner of someones mind'.

 19th century village he conditioned and commissioned for his workers.

Important year for British industry - where Britain is at this point in history - everyone coming to see Britain.

Prompted the need for large scale printing. Also the first shopping mall, which is where there are a lot of creative advertisement now-a-days.

At this point Britain had the largest economy and empire, it was seen as a very rich, one of the richest, countries.

Washing your body and clothes with soap in those days. Originally sold soap and big thick long sticks of soap.

First to sell soap in packaging, came out the same size, same quality, everyone knew what they were getting each time. Brand value through advertising and packaging.

Closure of news of the world recently was ended when the advertising was pulled from it for what they did. Still important even now.

 The headline has been placed over contemporary painting.

 Transformed into the largest corporation in Britain, and still doing well today.

Hard to see as contemporary, when it looks to us as quite old fashioned. He bought the paintings - always looking for specific desirables in each painting such as, women, children and white linen.

Was shown in a photography exhibition, with some graphics. At the time, in 1858, there was a high infant mortality rate (children died after child birth) therefore children in paintings signify joy, blessings and purity, as to survive child birth at the time was farely rare.

 Used for pears soap advert later, note the white linen in the painting.

Paintings bought by Leverhulme - subject matter was a mother passing down her wedding dress to her daughter, but modifying it to make it into something which her daughter would love. It was used to sell soap to clean your clothes with, showing the significance of the clean white linen, and family values linked with the brand. Showing that passing her secrets down to her daughter, linking to both the wedding dress and the secret to her brilliant whites.

Using imagery and contemporary art added more power to the message. It enabled people to have contemporary art in their working class homes.

 A lot of adverts were text based only.

Moving more contemporary, adverts as an art form and entertainment. Getting involved in the narrative and can appear as a character as well, getting the audience involved more in entertainment as an art form.

 Slightly different from other art forms.

Adverts in newspapers is how they earned their money. In the 20th century creative advertising emerged for the first time. Now interacts a lot more with the community and people online.

One of the first examples of product placement in contemporary paintings. Using white linen again and white flowers showing clean white. Replacing different things in the room for soap.

This was organised so that people could have a look at product demonstration and have a good day out at the same time.

Capturing the children through their mothers, allowing the children to get gifts, but only through buying their product.

It was targeted at the mothers as they were the people that did the washing of the clothes. It is trying to show the message that if you want to be a good mother you will have to buy this soap.

Promoting the monkey brand achieved several medals for being the best soap, he obviously created the right image, and did it in the best way.

Leverhulme sponsored slavery and the main ingredients used in his soap was palm oil, which is very bad for the environment. This is demonstrating people who are against the use of palm oil as it is killing the earth.

 Executive director.

Using adverts in situe. Designed to be used and shown in a particular place, Leverhulme was very choosey when it came to his advertisements, it was very important for him.

You can't lie about the product, the creative idea, which is the advert, has to be based on the truth and a true product.

This is trying to show that it would make women's life easier and they would age slower. It became a solution to a problem.

 Emphasized romance.

 It is a promise of happiness.

 Products are being sold across the empire and it shows the Britishness of the product.

 It was the beginning of something good.

By telling someone that they smell, will make them want to buy deodorant and soap, it is the power of persuasion.

 Still being used today as it is a high feeling strategy.

Discrepancy theory was used within advertising. Showing you the difference between yourself and the ideal image of yourself.

 It also links to soap opera dramas.

Leverhulme still sponsors art, also the art which it sponsors is dependent on the advertisement sponsorship. It helps to associate the brand with aesthetic value.

A lot of people thought this was one of the reasons for the world war. It is used to funnel or pour information into someones head.

Started with Robin White - involved so clean and Alice in Wonderland exhibition. Technological developments allow this type of creative advertising to appear.