The Power of Words in Automotive Advertising

Continuing into the early twentieth century, the auto-advertising industry made some impressive changes in the hope to appeal to a wider audience.   One such pioneer was Edward "Ned" Jordan.  Jordan founded The Jordan Motor Car Company in Cleveland, Ohio in 1916 after working as an auto-advertising executive in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  He wanted to bring more spunk and liveliness into his ads, although, sometimes he went a little overboard for the times.  He had a passion that appealed to many diverse and wealthy individuals.  His company was extremely successful up until its demise in 1931.  Even though they surived the Stock Market crash of 1929, competition became too cut-throat afterwards.

 1. Do you think the name "Playboy" would have been offensive to anyone during that time period?

2.  Who do you think this automobile would have appealed to? Why?

3.  What words stand out in this ad?

1. 

1.  Who is this advertisement targeting?

Some of the first subliminal advertisements were masterminded by Edward Jordan.  He is known for this concept.  Subliminal means a hidden message,something not fully evident or explained outright. 

2.  What is the subliminal message in this ad?