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Hi Redesford & All,
Thanks all for posting those old ads and thoughts -- which I've enjoyed reading greatly.
The approach by various manufacturers to their advertisements in the 70s, 80s and to an extent the 90s has been in hindsight ... interesting.
To any and all of the manufacturers, don't take this as a criticism but as light-hearted comment --
Meade did the serious "scientist" looking guy in the black-rimmed glasses, white lab-coat and tie thing -- of course implying these are very serious telescopes. And if you're serious ...
Celestron did the "Leonard Nimoy" thing along a slightly similar thought line but then later on they did the attractive (usually) blonde girl with the shortish skirt/shorts, wind-blown hair beside the 'scope thing. You know what's implied: buy the telescope and you may/might/will get the girl (gender and sexual orientation is both assumed and strongly stereotyped). These ads were not too dissimilar to a lot of car ads of this era.
But more than this, I often used to wonder (still do) at the angle the the Astrophysics Telescopes ads were driving at. Black & White pic, they had the big refractor set up beside a tallish but demure-looking late 40s lady, big glasses, poodle-perm wearing a dress that looked like it was bought at K-Mart, sitting on a chair beside it holding the control -- almost expressionless and looking not a lot unlike Dustin Hoffman in the "Tootsie" film.
Now, I'm sure she was a lovely person, but her presence was no incredibly neutral one has to ask why was she there at all? What does she add -- to the ad? How are they selling this? What's the message? Is there a message at all or is she just the receptionist at Astrophysics?
That ad persisted for a loooong time and I think I saw it the last time only a few years ago.
Has always puzzled me ...
Best,
Les D
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