msockol 2.0

The debut of Mad Men’s latest season makes one nostalgic for old ads.  I had completely forgotten that Sugar Pops embraced an early western theme, but then again, it was the primary sponsor of the radio show, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock, when the cereal debuted in 1951.

Back in 1972, when this commercial ran on TV, Sugar Pops and every other sugar laced cereal was unceremoniously banned from the Sockol household by my mother in response to my truly frightening dental bill.  It seems that our pediatric dentist, Dr. Casper, detected more than a half a dozen cavities, and … Continue Reading

Had my money
I tell you what I’d do
I would go downtown
Buy a Mercury or two
Cause I’m crazy ’bout a Mercury
–Steve Miller Band

Steve Miller better move fast.  Media reports over the last few days have strongly suggested that Mercury’s days are over, the victim of muddled branding, poor sales and a general sense of irrelevancy.  The idea that Mercury represented “entry level luxury” ended years ago, and it seems to make sense for Ford as it consolidates its resources.

Mercury is the last survivor of a marketing concept born roughly a hundred years ago by GM chairman Alfred Sloan, who came up … Continue Reading

The Andersons. Can a cup of Maxwell House be far away?

When I was a boy, there were only one type of coffee and two true ways to drink it–black or light (which was shorthand for cream and sugar at any nearby Dunkin Donuts shop).  My Dad, who drank more coffee than I thought humanly possible, liked his cup extra light.  In most restaurants, it cost about a … Continue Reading