I love looking at wartime ads, particularly from WWII. They offer a glimpse into an era that we will likely never experience again – when brands would come out and support the government’s war efforts. This Greyhound ad uses not only a dollar savings message, but a resource savings message. Not resources for the earth, like we see today, but resources for National Defense – in this case, fuel.

Right or wrong, there was a certain degree of patriotism throughout the nation that made brands feel confident enough to get behind their government. And advertising boomed during the 40’s, unlike during WWI, when companies were cutting back their ad spending. This 40’s boom was due not only to the promotion of war bonds and PSA’s, but also products that brands were hoping consumers would purchase after a victory overseas.

It was an ideal environment for persuasion of all sorts. Could you imagine (given how much information we now have access to) that perfect storm brewing again in 2012?