Becoming more visual

In Chapter 8, "Visual Cliches: Fantasies and Icons," Marchand lays out why ad men in the 20's and 30's began to emphasize the visual over the textual in their ads.  Marchand, following Jerome Singer, suggests that visual imagery is the predominate modality for thinking involved in fantasy and that fantasy is a way to rehearse practical future action (p. 235). Ad men were not selling practical solutions so much as a fantasy of having all the benefits of modernity without cost (pp. 362- 363, and other places in text).

Psychologists of the 20's and 30's advised that that text stimulated thought leading to conflict and competitions and that pictures deflect criticism, best stimulate emotion/belief and had the added bonus of being able to convey more than one message at a time (p. 236). The biggest problem with text for ad men at the time was that some things sound exaggerated, ridiculous, or blasphemous, when written out but not when suggested with visuals.  The ad men used all sorts of visual tricks, but I'm going to focus on their use of beam of light. 

 (The following paraphrasing of Marchand is pulled mainly from pages 276 - 284). Beams of light were used for practical visual effect to focus the viewer's attention in a way more subtle than a pointing finger.  Beams of light were used to instill passion/awe without awkward, labored analogies. Ad men probably not overly aware of what they were doing because beams of light had already become a secularized image that retained soft, spiritual tones.  You couldn't write, "God endorses this product," but you could cast radiant beams on or from within a product to imply God's favor (p. 236). The ad for a toilet seat that used the text "Seat of Eternal Whiteness" sounds pompous, ridiculous, idolatrous, a soft glow from it might not.

Ironically, today, advertisers could use the pompous text because readers/viewers enjoy and even expect advertisements to play with over the top text and images as an ironic gesture- "yes, we are using hyperbole to sell something to you, yes, it is ridiculous and yes, we know you know better, so laugh along with us all the way to the check out counter/cart."