Fifty years ago, Chevy ads were the best. I know that because I still remember them, and I am not one to remember what I ate for lunch, let alone 50-year-old ads. Although we were a Ford family in the '50s, we became a Chevy family because of Dinah Shore and these great ads.


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I'm not an advertising expert by any means but I know a little about marketing, and marketing is at its best when it features storytelling and anticipation that equals surprise. Television used to be a place where those traits were applied in advertising, especially when it came to cars.
Fifty years ago, Chevy ads were the best. I know that because I still remember them, and I am not one to remember what I ate for lunch, let alone 50-year-old ads. Although we were a Ford family in the '50s, we became a Chevy family because of Dinah Shore and these great ads.
The first is story-telling Broadway style. The seond recalls the days when Americans anticipated the new cars and Detroit kept the styling locked up like nuclear secrets. Note that Dinah and Pat Boone comment in song on the subtleties in the ad and how careful Detroit is about sharing only the briefest of glimpses.
See the USA in Your Chevrolet - Dinah Shore 1952

1959 Chevrolet Impala

I think these ads are effective. Today, with all the wonderful technology and creative applications available, we should be telling and showing even greater stories. But mostly advertising seems to have gotten away from telling stories. Why is that?

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What Happened to Storytelling and Anticipation in Advertising?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lewis Green, Founder and Managing Principal of L&G Business Solutions, LLC, (https://www.l-gsolutions.com) brings three decades of business management experience. L&G Business Solutions, LLC, represents his third company. Additionally, he held management positions with GTE Discovery Publications, Puget Sound Energy and Starbucks Coffee Company.

In addition to his business experiences, Lewis is a published author and a former journalist, sports writer and travel writer. His feature articles have appeared in books, magazines and newspapers throughout North America. He has taught in public schools; lobbied for organizations both in state capitols and in Washington, D.C.; delivered workshops, seminars, and training programs; and made presentations to audiences in colleges, businesses and professional organizations. Lewis also has served as a book editor with a large publisher, the Executive Editor overseeing four magazines, and a newspaper department editor. Lewis served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, where he received the Air Force Commendation Medal.