In the mid-1940s, Seagram’s advertised its VO whiskey with a series of magazine ads about “Men Who Plan Beyond Tomorrow!” The ads’ images were a delightful blend of macho and futuristic. And, in some cases, they were prophetic.
My wife saw a link to the Seagram’s ads and this image at Fraters Libertas; click to enlarge:
The Fraters guys were deeply impressed that Seagrams foresaw the development of the sports bar–not to mention the flat-screen TV. They especially liked the fact that all of the screens were tuned to a hockey game. (Seagram’s is a Canadian company.) My wife was more impressed by how the guys in the sports bar are dressed. In that respect, alas, the future has failed to conform to Seagram’s vision.
The other Seagram’s ads are also interesting. Here, the whiskey company foresees the cell phone:
And, finally, a radical vision of the future in which meals are delivered to your home, and all you have to do is pour the whiskey. That’s what I call futurism! I think what Seagram’s actually predicted here was the rise of pizza, which was more or less unknown in the U.S. at the time:
Seagram’s predicted the fax machine, too. But that turned out to be a flash in the pan compared to delivered pizza.
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