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what did the war reduce?
consumer spending, as industry shifted to war production. During the war it was, suddenly, not the American Way to consume. Instead, it was patriotic to scrimp and save, to eat less bread so more wheat could be exported to the Allies in Europe, to save fuel for military use.
what did the industry return to once the war ended?
consumer spending, as industry shifted to war production. During the war it was, suddenly, not the American Way to consume. Instead, it was patriotic to scrimp and save, to eat less bread so more wheat could be exported to the Allies in Europe, to save fuel for military use.
what did the post war economic boom lead to?
a burst of consumerism that made the consumerism of the 1920s look insignificant.
what did manufacturers offer consumers?
an ever-widening range of choice of goods. Manufacturers offered consumers an ever-widening range of choice of goods. Ford's idea of one model of car in one colour vanished. Now an increasing number of products was offered in a huge variety of styles and colours.
what did manufacturers realise?
that constantly updating their goods made people buy more often.
what policy did manufacturers also introduce?
a new policy, built-in obsolescence. They made less sturdy machines that wore out more quickly and so needed replacing more often.
what did advertisers and businesses begin selling?
"new' and improved' products to encourage even greater spending They also targeted different groups of people more strongly than before. In this they had a new ally - television. This ran on sponsorship just as radio did, so advertisements were an integral part.
changes ot televisions
"new' and improved' products to encourage even greater spending They also targeted different groups of people more strongly than before. In this they had a new ally - television. This ran on sponsorship just as radio did, so advertisements were an integral part.
what can the growth od television be explained by?
the fact that, by 1950, most homes had electricity and installation wasn't complicated. Televisions did need reception and broadcasting stations grew rapidly.
growth in broadcasting stations
In 1948, there were 16 broadcasting stations; by 1954, there were 354. Television brought entertainment into the home and meant that families went out less. Many buyers lived in the suburbs. Staying in saved finding a babysitter and saved the journey to the movies, theatres, bars and restaurants in town and city centres.
what was there an increase in as people stayed home to eat dinner and watch television?
TV dinners' that could just be heated and eaten in front of the television were developed.
what did manufacturers become increasingly specific in?
targeting consumers. They extended their range of goods widely. For example, the toy industry grew rapidly (see page 94), helped by developments in the plastic industry (plastic toy cars were cheaper to make than steel ones).
how were toys aimed at children adevrtised?
around childrens programmes on television and radio, targeting children for their
'pester-power' with their parents, not the parents themselves.
1955, Davy Crockett
was a television hero. In just five months, the company making Davy Crockett outfits made $100 million from sales of just the racoon-skin caps of the outfit.
what were women also targeted for?
their 'pester-power' in major purchases (from kitchen units to washing machines), although men were targets for car advertisements. Women, especially working women, were targets for labour-saving' devices. Washing machines vacuum cleaners, wipe-clean floors and worktop surfaces - all these things made housework faster and easier.
what else were women also targets for?
everyday domestic shopping, Throughout the 1950s, they bought more food, drink and domestic supplies than ever before. Women chose the brand of milk, juice and coffee. They decided which grocery chain store to visit regularly (research showed many women had a 'favourite' store rather than shopping around);
pre prepared meals
Pre prepared meals were also a time saver, as were part prepared items such as ready mix cakes. cake mix providers, such as Betty Crocker, sold the american dream of a woman baking for her family quickly easily and with a reliable result.
what was big business after WWIO?
sweets and flavoured drinks were his business, Coca Cola made $55.7 million before tax in 1950 and $79.1 million in 1959.
what did people also do more of after WWII?
People also smoked more (many got into the habit during the war).
how did people eat after WWII?
far less healthily than before the war. The 1950s saw the first big studies into the effects that food, drink and smoking had on health. By the early 1960s, there were reports about the health effects of smoking and too much cholesterol in the diet.
what were women much more likely to do?
to feed their babies formula milk, especially the type that had vitamins added. It made it easier for working women to share the care of their babies, but even non-working women were encouraged to use formula because of the added vitamins and because it was easier to measure a baby's intake.
who was a significant consumer in the 1950s?
Teenagers were significant consumers in the 1950s. A 1959 survey showed that teenagers spent about $10 billion a year
what did teenagers spend money on? Transport
38%. Most of this was car-related. In 1959, there were 1.5 million teenage car owners. This was helped by the growing number of families trading in the family car for a newer model every few years, there were more second hand cars for the teenage market
what did teenagers spend money on? clothing and sports
24%. Teenage girls consumed more clothing and cosmetics than the boys ($20 million on lipsticks alone), but boys spent more on sporting equipment and trips to sporting events.
what did teenagers spend money on? food and drink
22%. Teenagers ate and drank a significant amount outside the home. Teenagers ate about 20 percent more than adults and, when eating out, they ate huge amounts of ice cream and drank a lot of milk, giving a huge boost to the dairy industry. They also ate in the new drive-ins that produced cheap, fast food.
what did teenagers spend money on? entertainment
16%. Teenagers spent $75 million on records. From the 1950s, movie-makers began to target teen audiences with high school films and a range of cheap horror and sci-fi movies such as The Blob (1958).
how did census measures change in 1960?
They still measured home ownership. In 1960, about 62% of all people owned their own homes compared to 43.6% in 1940. In 1960, 93% of homes had running water in the house; 86% of all homes had an indoor flushing toilet for their own use, while 85% had a bath or shower. Electricity supplies were no longer recorded and 30.8% of homes now cooked with it. Only 1.7% of homes had no heating at all. and 30% were no longer recorded, but freezers were recorded instead: 18.5% of homes had. a freezer in 1960. About 92 % of homes had at least one radio. Newly registered goods were washing machines (40.3%), telephones (78.5%), televisions (85%) and air conditioning (1.7%).
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Flashcard (21)