The photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1153591252&aid=2055055

and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055059&id=1153591252#!/album.php?id=1153591252&aid=2055059

On 26th February 2010, we (me, Amy Turner, Carley Bartlett, Chris Thornton, Nikki Maidment and Beth Hamer) went to the museum of brands and advertising in London. It was really interesting looking at advertising from Victorian and Edwardian, through every decade up to the 2000s. The cabinets were filled with so many different items it was difficult to see them all. But it was really interesting looking how what was advertised has changed. In the earlier times, it was mainly soap powders, flour, and other cooking/washing items being advertised. Then there was the introduction of alcohol and cigarettes being advertised, with more foods. It was surprising how long brands like ‘Cross and Blackwell’, ’Hartleys’, ’Birds’ ‘Cadburys’ and ‘Jacobs’ have been in business. The adverts for these were extremely simple, showing the product and saying what it did and how it was a necessity to help you with your housewife duties. But since they were new products, there was hardly any competition so they did not need to convince the target audience this was the right brand of washing powder or flour for example, as it was probably the only one. During the period of the second world war the advertising was largely war propaganda, encouragin men to sign-up. Towards the middle decades, the subject of advertising began to change; although food and washing aids were still advertised, fashion and children’s toys were advertised more. This fitted in with the change in the times, women after the war began to become more independent, so they were interested in fashion, so the advertising fitted that, it catered for their needs. Toys were becoming more popular too, after rationing ended, children no longer played with things they found, they wanted proper toys so the advertising acknowledged this. Also, as cars were invented as brought into people’s lives and onto the roads of Britain, advertising began to incorporate this too, by making car adverts part of the norm. Although they were still fairly simple adverts, just telling the target audience how good the car was, not what it could do for you or your lifestyle like they do now. As the decades moved on, brands faded and recognisable ones were introduced. While foods and washing aids were still advertised, fashion, music, sweets & chocolate and toys were more central to advertising, as this is what the consumer would have been more interested in. Especially when television programmes/films became part of the toy industry, like Doctor Who, Star Trek and Thunderbirds and franchising began. Cigarette and alcohol was still popular advertising right up until the 2000’s, when cigarette advertising became illegal and alcohol advertising almost redundant due to strict regulations. Only a few alcohol companies remain advertising. I think it was set out extremely well, in a linear way which made it easy to follow and the cabinets were packed with things to look at. The brands section was interesting as it show-cased particular popular brands that have been around since Victorian/Edwardian times to now, showing the cans/boxes/tins etc and how they have changed. The packaging section was also interesting, showing how bottles were just bottles, simple and made from the material available, to how the packaging became part of the brand, how the bottle etc says something about the product. It also showed the introduction of new materials, which then lead to packaging innovations- different desgins and styles became available. And the designs themselves almost had to sell the products, rather than the advertising. This is how the market works now, the consumer has to be convinced to buy the product, they do not tend to buy out of necessity like they would have in the earlier times. The packaging then went on to show how companies are trying to make packaging recyclable and from sustainable materials, which fits in with the eco-conscious society of today. All in all, it was an interesting visit, with lots to think about and really showed how some brands can sustain and survive, whilst others simply fade away- why is this, what do they do right or wrong? Also, it highlighted how the subject of advertising has changed, how advertising focuses on the changes in society in regards to what it advertises. The only thing I would say I didn’t like, was the lack of history, there was very little text with the items, a bit of history of the brands would have been a good idea.