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i am about to explode!
here is another atrocious example of a racist commercial being produced in denmark, today in 2006, again by nybolig, again produced by wibroe, duckert and partners. it has just been released and the name of the film is indianer (indians).
in this scenario, a landowner and his family, who are white, are under siege by indians in a cartoonish western setting, and therefore forced to put their house up for sale. the white real estate agent then shows up, supported by the cavalry representing the real estate company (again, all of them are white) and, through force, they save the landowner and his family, striking a deal with the natives, who are conned into purchasing the land that once was theirs.
during the final shot, the real estate agent, now in traditional business attire, is scalped by an indian.
this commercial appeals to the worst stereotypes and clichés of what the american indians were like. for one, scalping did not originate with the indians - it was a french innovation in which a very limited number of people from the northeastern tribes in the former french colonies in canada were paid by the french as mercenaries - and some of them were told to bring proof of their kills by scalping their victims. it is a terrible assumption that this is normal behaviour for such a large group of people - it is far from it and it never was a reality in the american west - it simply did not happen.
this commercial appeals to the lowest common denominator and is a great disgrace to native americans. and don't say it's not relevant today. it is a hateful campaign, based on the premise that if you make one group of people look ridiculous, you then increase your own standing. it tells us that it is o.k. to stereotype other people, especially if you want to sell a product.
i am married to someone of apache decent who lives in denmark - she will see this commercial and will no doubt feel greatly offended.
what am i supposed to tell her?
boycott this company, please. nybolig, en ordentlig handel. bullshit.
see the film for yourself.
oddset is a company that is majority-owned by the state of denmark, which maintains a monopoly on legalized gambling in denmark.
oddset hired the advertising agency BBDO to produce this campaign in connection with the football world cup, but the campaign has been running in one variation or another for several years. brand recognition of the oddset product has increased as a result of this campaign and, astonishingly, the overall campaign has actually won several prizes.
as it is clear, not only is it racist but also pathetically misogynist.
the tag line at the bottom of the page says "there is so much that women do not understand." der er så meget kvinder ikke forstår.
blackface has never been funny and it never will be.
i have been to several costume parties in denmark where white danes feel comfortable walking around in black face, completely ignorant of the great offence that they are causing. i have known people whom i would think of as friends, such as the well regarded designer henrik vibskov, who has appeared in black face at a party while prancing around on stage - at a party that was otherwise filled with very cool, very open-minded people. you can see him in the film that appears here - he's the only one wearing black face. he used an image of himself in black face for PR material that was distributed at a trade fair in berlin that my wife attended. we know henrik, and we have friends who work with him, but he continues to allow the pictures of himself in blackface to be used and distributed. btw, i have told him how i feel and he shrugged it off.
the use of blackface is pathetic, abusive, and has no place in the society that i want to live in, nor in the denmark that i want to call home. these people do not represent my views.
From the 7 February 1948 edition of Australian Women's Weekly.
I didn't know Pepsodent used to be sold here in Australia....
From the 23 December 1939 edition of Melbourne, Australia newspaper The Age.
Interesting that both the film and the ice cream are still popular!
The ad is a striking example of marketing that leans heavily on historical metaphor. The depiction of Colonel Townsend’s injury—whether fictionalized or loosely based on historical accounts—is unusually intense for a product pitch, especially one about rust removal. But it fits a broader trend in postwar advertising: using patriotic imagery and emotional storytelling to elevate mundane products into symbols of national resilience and technological progress.
Advertisers in the 1950s were experimenting with heroic storytelling and historical drama to lend gravitas to everyday goods. The metaphor of rust as a “red enemy” cleverly ties into Cold War anxieties, while the wounded Colonel evokes sacrifice and endurance. It's a bold move, and Seaton’s art makes it work by grounding the drama in human emotion.
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Walter Wallace Seaton (1895–1957) was a prolific American illustrator known for his work in major magazines and children's books. His art often blended dramatic realism with emotional depth, making him a compelling choice for evocative advertising like this Cities Service ad.
Seaton was a regular contributor to major publications such as “The Saturday Evening Post,” “Collier’s,” “Ladies’ Home Journal,” and “Cosmopolitan.” He illustrated numerous children’s books, especially for the Junior Deluxe Editions published by Nelson Doubleday. Titles included “Dickens’ Christmas Stories,” “National Velvet,” “East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon,” and “Black Beauty.” In 1915, he won the Jules LeFebvre Paris Prize from the San Francisco Institute of Art—a prestigious recognition of his early promise. He was also a War Bond artist, contributing to patriotic campaigns during WWII.
Seaton’s landscapes often depicted rural Woodstock and the Maine coast, while his illustrations captured dramatic moments with cinematic flair. The Cities Service ad is a prime example, using Seaton’s skill to make rust removal feel like a battle for national integrity.
[Source: Bing Copilot]
“When you pilot a Martin Mariner, you’re leader of an eleven-man crew. If you’ve got what it takes to fly, you belong in the Navy Air Force. It’s a real opportunity to learn a trade of the future. . . aviation. Even now Martin has completed plans for giant 150-ton ‘flying hotels,’ the transportation of tomorrow. Such ships, weaving an aerial network over the world will require crews of expert fliers. You can be one of them, if you start now to win your Navy Wings of Gold!” [Excerpt from the ad copy]
So, this is not only an ad selling a war plane, but also encouraging Navy pilot training to meet the demand for pilots in Martin’s commercial planes of the future. By encouraging Navy pilot training, they were essentially outsourcing their future workforce development to the military, ensuring a pool of trained aviators ready to transition into commercial roles. It’s a masterstroke of industrial foresight and marketing psychology, blending wartime propaganda with postwar dreams.
Glenn L. Martin founded the Martin Aircraft Company in 1912, which became a major U.S. aerospace manufacturer. During WWII, Martin produced several iconic aircraft, including the PBM Mariner, a patrol bomber flying boat used extensively for anti-submarine warfare. In 1961, Martin merged with American-Marietta Corporation to form Martin-Marietta, which later became part of Lockheed Martin in 1995.
The mention of "150-ton flying hotels" reveals Martin’s vision for massive transoceanic aircraft, anticipating the boom in commercial aviation after the war. The idea was part of a broader postwar optimism about luxury air travel, including concepts like double-decker flying boats and sky cruisers. While such aircraft were never built at that scale, the ambition fed into the development of large commercial jets like the Boeing 747 decades later.
[Source: Bing Copilot]
From the 8 May 1948 edition of Australian Women's Weekly.
Note: Healing was an Australian radio manufacturer. They later also manufactured TV sets.
From the 15 August 1918 edition of the The Courier Journal, a Louisville, Kentucky newspaper.
Amazing the stuff you can find in old newspapers...
Although the Cadillac Cyclone never entered mass production, it remains a fascinating piece of automotive history. It made its debut at the opening of the Daytona International Speedway in 1959. Its design drew inspiration from aviation and rocket aesthetics prevalent in the ‘50s. It had large tailfins, which were later reduced in size to resemble the 1963-64 Cadillac range. The iconic bubble top canopy, coated in silver for UV protection, provided a complete 360-degree view and automatically opened along with the sliding electrically operated doors. The canopy could also be stowed in the rear compartment.
The Cyclone featured a 390 cubic-inch front-mounted engine, a rear-mounted automatic transaxle, and an all-wheel independent suspension. Uniquely, the exhaust was pointed out just ahead of the front wheels. The car incorporated a radar-operated collision avoidance system, with radar sensors mounted in twin “nose cones” on the front.
The Cyclone served as a testbed for futuristic styling and cutting-edge technology. While it never graced showrooms, it became a key part of GM’s Motorama, showcasing both aesthetic and technological ideas.
[Sources: Bing Copilot, Wikipedia, HotCars.com and ChicagoAutoShow.com]
[Note: Motorama was an elaborate auto show held by GM from 1949 to 1961. These extravagant events were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales by showcasing fancy concept cars and other special or halo models. One of the cars showcased at a Motorama was the Chevrolet Corvette. Other showcased cars would still turn heads today!]