'MAD MEN' vs. REALITY: Compare Don Draper's Ads With Those That Actually Ran In The 1960s
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One of the most exciting things about "Mad Men" is seeing the creative process Don Draper and his team go through to come up with the ad campaigns that determine the very fate of Sterling Cooper & Partners.
Throughout the show's six seasons, these campaigns have featured major brands like Playtex and American Airlines.
Despite the best efforts of Don Draper, Peggy Olson, and the rest of the team, however, their ads are often not much better than the ads their fictional clients were running in real life during the '60s. Sometimes, in fact, Sterling Cooper's ads were much worse.
Take a look and judge for yourself ...
<h3>Don Draper's Season 1 pitch for the Kodak Carousel remains one of the show's most poignant moments. </h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f638cc2eab8ea046f000040-400-300/don-drapers-season-1-pitch-for-the-kodak-carousel-remains-one-of-the-shows-most-poignant-moments.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>The real first ad for the Carousel, which debuted in 1962, wasn't as high-minded as Draper's, but it did explain what the product does.</h3>
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<h3>Sterling Cooper's ad for Samsonite plays on the fact that nobody likes an empty suitcase.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/515b3589eab8ea486800003b-400-300/sterling-coopers-ad-for-samsonite-plays-on-the-fact-that-nobody-likes-an-empty-suitcase.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Meanwhile, Samsonite's late-'60s campaign was in color and touted the ability of its luggage to take a licking.</h3>
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<h3>Here's Sterling Cooper's concept ad for Mohawk Airlines. The agency ultimately dropped Mohawk for a chance at the American Airlines account.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/515b2134eab8eab83c000010-400-300/heres-sterling-coopers-concept-ad-for-mohawk-airlines-the-agency-ultimately-dropped-mohawk-for-a-chance-at-the-american-airlines-account.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>A real Mohawk ad from 1968 put a greater emphasis on its attractive stewardesses. </h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/515b38e4ecad04f344000018-400-300/a-real-mohawk-ad-from-1968-put-a-greater-emphasis-on-its-attractive-stewardesses.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>When Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce pitched Jantzen, the clients felt the innuendo was too strong.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f68913d69beddf216000054-400-300/when-sterling-cooper-draper-pryce-pitched-jantzen-the-clients-felt-the-innuendo-was-too-strong.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Jantzen's real ads were more modest. Here's one from 1960.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f6393bf69bedd252a000017-400-300/jantzens-real-ads-were-more-modest-heres-one-from-1960.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's first hit campaign was for Glo-Coat. The boy in the ad is begging for someone to free him from the little jail cell he's made from a chair. </h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4f638bdaeab8ea257a000046-400-300/sterling-cooper-draper-pryces-first-hit-campaign-was-for-glo-coat-the-boy-in-the-ad-is-begging-for-someone-to-free-him-from-the-little-jail-cell-hes-made-from-a-chair.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Glo-Coat's real ads were actually much, much cornier.</h3>
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<h3>Here's a sketch Draper produced for Lucky Strike.</h3>
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<h3>Lucky Strike's real ads featured former New York Giants star Frank Gifford from 1961 to 1962.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f63909e6bb3f73262000074-400-300/lucky-strikes-real-ads-featured-former-new-york-giants-star-frank-gifford-from-1961-to-1962.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Sterling Cooper's attempt to help Playtex keep up with Maidenform asked women to decide whether they were a Jackie or a Marilyn.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4f63b36869bedd8376000002-400-300/sterling-coopers-attempt-to-help-playtex-keep-up-with-maidenform-asked-women-to-decide-whether-they-were-a-jackie-or-a-marilyn.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Playtex would ultimately turn to the real Jane Russell, a popular actress of the day, to advertise its products.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51604a50eab8eace6200001d-400-300/playtex-would-ultimately-turn-to-the-real-jane-russell-a-popular-actress-of-the-day-to-advertise-its-products.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Here's the ad Don made Conrad Hilton for Hilton Hotels. Hilton was not impressed.</h3>
<img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4f64f28feab8ea962400009a-400-300/heres-the-ad-don-made-conrad-hilton-for-hilton-hotels-hilton-was-not-impressed.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Here's one of Hilton's actual ads, promoting its numerous locations across Europe. </h3>
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<h3>Draper's ads for Playtex gloves were far superior to the real McCoy.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/515b2287eab8eab73c00000f-400-300/drapers-ads-for-playtex-gloves-were-far-superior-to-the-real-mccoy.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Yikes!</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/515b22c869bedd4848000010-400-300/yikes.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Life wanted something emphasizing its health benefits instead of this Don Draper ad.</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4f6a0fb5eab8ea0f64000083-400-300/life-wanted-something-emphasizing-its-health-benefits-instead-of-this-don-draper-ad.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>The brand really was pushing a health message at the time, as seen in this 1962 ad.</h3>
<img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4f63913e6bb3f7396000005f-400-300/the-brand-really-was-pushing-a-health-message-at-the-time-as-seen-in-this-1962-ad.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>In Season 6, Peggy pitched Heinz executives on a Times Square billboard to draw a clear distinction between Heinz's one-of-a-kind Ketchup and rival brands' watered-down "catsup."</h3>
<img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5346f7556da811f5448b4568-400-300/in-season-6-peggy-pitched-heinz-executives-on-a-times-square-billboard-to-draw-a-clear-distinction-between-heinzs-one-of-a-kind-ketchup-and-rival-brands-watered-down-catsup.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Sterling Cooper Draper wound up losing the pitch to JWT, but Heinz's real-life ad agency, DDB, was employing a similar strategy of differentiating Ketchup from catsup.</h3>
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<h3>It's easy to see why people from the Hawaii Sheraton interpreted Donald Draper's "jumping-off point" sketch as being a little too morbid.</h3>
<img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/534704eb6bb3f7790c8b456b-400-300/its-easy-to-see-why-people-from-the-hawaii-sheraton-interpreted-donald-drapers-jumping-off-point-sketch-as-being-a-little-too-morbid.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>In real life, the Sheraton's competitor Hilton Hotels was sticking to the basics of fun in the sun.</h3>
<img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/534705666bb3f7fc158b4567-400-300/in-real-life-the-sheratons-competitor-hilton-hotels-was-sticking-to-the-basics-of-fun-in-the-sun.jpg" alt="" />
<h3>Now see some vintage ads that were way more offensive.</h3>
<img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/53236c6d6bb3f7ff731ad61a-400-300/now-see-some-vintage-ads-that-were-way-more-offensive.jpg" alt="" />
<h2>Click here to see 11 outrageously sexist ads that today's major brands wish you'd forget.</h2>
<b>See Also:</b>
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