The Hucksters is a fabulous film from 1947 about the ad biz starring Clark Gable, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner. I saw it the other night for the first time in decades, and was floored by how relevant it still is to the issues facing the industry today. And the movie is 62 years old!
Consider the following scene where the lead character, Victor Norman, dictates a memo to his boss:
"To Mr. Kimberly: Dear Kim, for four years I haven't been listening to the radio much.... Kim, in that time, it's gotten worse, if possible. More irritating, more commercials per minute, more spelling out of words, as if no one in the audience has gotten past the first grade.... I want to go on record as saying that radio has to turn over a new leaf. We've pushed and badgered the listeners, we've sung to them and screamed at them, we've insulted them, cheated them and angered them, turned their homes into a combination grocery store, crap game and midway. Kim, someday, 50 million people are going to just reach out and turn off their radios, snap, just like that - and that's the end of the gravy, for you, and me, and (our clients). Sign it love and kisses, Vic."