Who was the first ad man/salesman/pitch man to publically call himself "Crazy"?
November 5, 2011 7:53 PM Subscribe
Who was the first ad man/salesman/pitch man to publically call himself "Crazy"?
It's become cultural shorthand for a certain type of businessman that does his own very public hyped-up pitying of his products: Crazy Whoever's Bargain Whatever.
But where did it all start?
Is there an older cultural trend here that predates TV and radio advertising?
It's become cultural shorthand for a certain type of businessman that does his own very public hyped-up pitying of his products: Crazy Whoever's Bargain Whatever.
But where did it all start?
Is there an older cultural trend here that predates TV and radio advertising?
The Wikipedia article on Crazy Eddie points to Earl "Madman" Muntz as an earlier inspiration.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:59 PM on November 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:59 PM on November 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yea, Eddie was the first to come to mind but that was the 80's. There must have been someone earlier.
posted by jamesalbert at 8:14 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jamesalbert at 8:14 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Pretty fascinating! I wonder if that ever came out.
posted by rhizome at 11:18 PM on November 5, 2011
posted by rhizome at 11:18 PM on November 5, 2011
Is there an older cultural trend here that predates TV and radio advertising?
Not necessarily. To my eye, this is a tactic that presupposes both mass production and broadcast advertising -- and possibly also rudimentary consumer protection laws, such that an off-kilter approach isn't immediately seen as offering low-quality or even dangerous junk. The existence or absence of predatory pricing laws probably also plays some role.
For one thing, mid-19th century retail naming conventions were largely the proprietor's name -- usually in full ("F. W. Woolworth & Co."). By the turn of the century nicknames like Macy's were in common use, and a downmarket had appeared with bland, reassuring names using generic words such as the infamous Acme. By the interwar era, sales and special pricing had helped create a real discount retail approach, but names were still pretty restrained and any superlative adjectives applied to the product or the prices.
I found this page of one small city's retail advertising history that probably gives you a representative sample. Note especially the approach of the ads that use price as a draw. Comparatively sedate.
posted by dhartung at 11:37 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Not necessarily. To my eye, this is a tactic that presupposes both mass production and broadcast advertising -- and possibly also rudimentary consumer protection laws, such that an off-kilter approach isn't immediately seen as offering low-quality or even dangerous junk. The existence or absence of predatory pricing laws probably also plays some role.
For one thing, mid-19th century retail naming conventions were largely the proprietor's name -- usually in full ("F. W. Woolworth & Co."). By the turn of the century nicknames like Macy's were in common use, and a downmarket had appeared with bland, reassuring names using generic words such as the infamous Acme. By the interwar era, sales and special pricing had helped create a real discount retail approach, but names were still pretty restrained and any superlative adjectives applied to the product or the prices.
I found this page of one small city's retail advertising history that probably gives you a representative sample. Note especially the approach of the ads that use price as a draw. Comparatively sedate.
posted by dhartung at 11:37 PM on November 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by Senor Cardgage at 7:53 PM on November 5, 2011