My article last month on early automobile advertisements must have struck a chord, judging by the number of follow on calls that it led to. This month, let me take you through Ads of a later period, that we today call the classics era. I'm talking about post 1935 to the 1950s.

Small Cars with pride
The importance and confidence in the small car market is something that's quite visible in the 1940s advertisements. The market at that time was dominated by fuel rationing and shortages (caused perhaps by World War 2?). That failed to dampen buyer enthusiasm though. If you look at the advertisements issued by Austin of England (then India's largest selling brand), it's clear that the buyer it was looking for came from successful, well appointed and modern families. The visuals show snazzy backdrops, outdoorsy clothes and overall, impart a positive spin to car ownership.

Ladies
For the first time, we see Ladies appearing in advertisements. And they are not the shy, retiring ones either but modern, contemporary and confident individuals eager to explore. Even Indian language advertisements of the 1940s show Ladies. Though the images are line drawings, it's clear that real models were used to create and compose the visual (see the curve of the head, the angle of the face etc).
Cars were clearly a factor in pushing back 'purdah' and similar social restrictions.

Indian language advertisements 
Western dress models were fine but car makers and equipment producers were both convinced that Indian language readers were important buyers too. Hence advertisements in Indian languages (first introduced I think in Bengali and Hindi by Ford) had become essential in any campaign. As visuals and messaging were shared with English ones, the Indian language ones were quite informative and detailed. There is no doubt the advertising industry itself was being matured and shaped by automobile advertisements and their use of technical information.

Less diversity 
In last month's article, the early advertisements highlighted the many types of bodywork and other options available to a buyer. However, as the industry matured in the 1940s, there was less diversity. In fact, by then, more Cars were being sold with closed all weather bodies than other types of bodywork. The days when most cars were open ones were passing -- as the advantages of light, closed, steel bodies became obvious. So be it the small Austin or the luxurious Dodge, closed bodies of the standard type dominated the Indian market. Data indicates buyers preferred four door cars-- two door closed bodies were less popular.

Product advertising
I'll end by highlighting the fact that product makers like tyre companies found it worthwhile to advertise. Clearly, the replacement market was large enough, and had enough intelligent decision makers capable of choosing between brands. And of course, advertisements for tyres were both in English and Bengali, proving how broad-based car ownership had become.

End note- a cartoon
I could not resist the Walford bus service advertisement as the company was such a big name in the motoring world. But look at the thoroughly unhappy looking bus driver and the harassed looking passengers. In contrast, look at the smiling models in the car advertisements. Clearly owing a car was bliss. Or else you would have to cope with the bus!