In this second of our series on classic airline ads, we examine the mindset of Madison Avenue during the heyday of 1950s magazine advertising. One can just imagine a scene right out of the TV hit series “Mad Men” where the pitch for a new Douglas DC-8 Jetliner ad goes something like this:
“I’m telling you guys, this will tug at the heartstrings of every parent. We put a kid and his Mom sitting at the counter of an airport coffee shop, and – get this – they’re talking to a real airline pilot! Then we dress the kid exactly like the pilot right down to his blue suit, white shirt, black tie, and cap, and he’s holding a model with “DOUGLAS DC-8″ painted on it, just like the real jet parked outside!”
Driving home the clincher, our pitch man proudly exclaims, “The captain is doing “handies” showing the kid how the DC-8 does a Chandelle, and the kid’s Mom smiles and hugs him while the waitress looks on approvingly while holding an apple pie!” And so, a new ad is born for America’s latest commercial jet, billed in 1958 as “the world’s most advanced jetliner.”
Next, professional models are hired to create the scene as described in the meeting. Central casting sends a drop-dead handsome ‘airline captain’ while equally well-cast characters pose as the Mom, waitress, and kid. Douglas supplies the DC-8 model just as the wardrobe department provides correct and appropriate attire for our characters. Subjects are posed, photos are taken, and then noted illustrator Mark Miller goes to work.
Looking at his illustration, one can’t help but notice the aircraft parked on the ramp looks suspiciously like the DC-8 photo at top of the page. There’s also a buzz of activity on the tarmac as passengers deplaning the big jet wave to loved ones meeting them in the days before Jetways and TSA. And were people actually flying aboard the first DC-8 in prototype markings? (No, but that’s what an “artist’s license” is for.)
Meanwhile, back at the counter, Mom is wearing her favorite Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat while junior gazes admiringly at our Captain. With cap tilted back at a cocky angle and his perfectly tailored suit with nary a wrinkle, our veteran pilot wows the little tyke with tales of airborne splendor. “Yes, Tommy, there I was, flying through that raging thunderstorm with just the airspeed and compass…”
Now here’s the fun part. Look carefully at this composition, and somehow, your eye is driven to the Captain’s handsome face. Try as you may, your gaze gravitates to those perfectly tanned features like a magnet to iron. Now take out your ruler (or the edge of your cell phone) and look at the visual elements contained in this image.
Connect Mom’s hat with the Captain’s left elbow. Now line-up the bottom of his left sleeve with his thumbs, the coffee cup, napkin holder and salt shaker on the counter, and the pie tin – including the exposed slice of apple pie! Come up the left edge of the artwork, and you’ve just inscribed a perfect acute triangle! This powerful artistic device directs your eye straight to the Captain’s face every time, making this classic and compelling ad one of the very best of that era!
