Magazine Magic
My mom subscribed to a lot of magazines such as House Beautiful and Town & Country. My friends and I had learned to make collage ransom notes, so we would mine the “archives” for material. The best were the ads. They seemed magical to our 4th and 5th grade selves, full of very beautiful grown-ups doing exotic and important things.
My favorites were the fanciful illustrated ads for Grand Marnier, Pond’s cold cream (because I thought it was weird that ladies put cucumbers over their eyes), and anything to do with perfume. The perfume ads were utter fantasy. I’d look at the spreads for Chanel No. 5, Stetson, and Jovan, and I’d think, “Who lives like this?” I wondered if I’d be like that when I grew up, but somehow also knew that the ads weren’t real. They were more like magic, a fairy tale.
This was my first conscious thought about advertising, brand creation, and the tie-in with fantasy. The fascination hasn’t worn off. Now, after many years of study, I’ve come to understand exactly why the advertisers created those ads, and what the audience believes when they look at the fairy tales.