The Conglomerate Ad: Oil and Gas Company Advertisements in the 60's and 70's

Signal Oil and Gas Company. August 29, 1969. Time Magazine. Pg. 2.

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This advertisement, published in Time Magazine, shows the clear rebellion in America against conglomerate corporations, and the attempt to relate to and reconcile with the American people. 1969 proved to be a year of counterculture. Movements to disassociate from the mainstream characterized a younger, dissident, and boisterous generation of Americans. This ad, published for an oil and gas company, represents an attempt at breaking the association of conglomerates with corruption—the idea that the company has an all too powerful grip on the heartbeat of the American economy and people.
What is most interesting about this advertisement is it’s sheer lack of flair. There are no pictures or slogans, with the exception of the Signal Oil and Gas logo. There are no gimmicks, no clichés, and no product plugs. This ad was clearly trying to connect on a simple level by reducing the ad to the bare minimum, avoiding the superficiality of logo designs and bargain sales. In lieu of the push against the corporate mainstream, this particular company attempts to separate itself from its negative associations.
The ad begins, in its largest type, by saying, “Conglomerate, like naked, is not a dirty word.” Why would an ad in this time period, with Time Magazine’s audience, endorse their product in such a fashion? Cleverly, Signal Oil and Gas is relating to the American public by also rebelling against a traditional mainstream perspective. Nakedness, as far back as Biblical times, is an allusion to shame and sin from the story of Adam and Eve. The human race’s downfall, according to the Bible, occurred when the pair disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge. This knowledge leads to their awareness of nudity, shame, embarrassment, guilt, and sin. Thus, nudity was quickly associated with sin and wrongdoing.
In a stretch, this advertisement tries to spotlight a similar wrongful correlation—positing that the Signal Companies, while a conglomerate corporation, do not embody nor profess the negative stereotypes associated with the word “conglomerate”. But how was “a conglomerate” characterized in this era? The advertisement explains that conglomerates imply “a profit-mad monster who gobbles up unsuspecting companies by means of underhanded tender offers”. But the style of the advertisement in addition to its language works to disassociate from such a description. By minimizing the ad to words, the advertisement is in a way “naked”, using its transparency and openness to demonstrate its good intentions and ambitions.
In addition, the ad counters the hostility of the American counterculture by calling for introspection—“We suggest that in ‘conglomerates,’ as in nudity, the evil is in the eye of the beholder.” The advertisement does not simply attempt to connect with the anti-conglomerate culture, but rather asks the American public to be wary of generalizations—including all companies under the conglomerate umbrella. Furthermore, Signal Oil and Gas offers its own definition of “conglomerate”, describing it as “profitable, autonomous, and active”. Autonomy implies individuality and self-sustainability. Through such a description, the company again tries to relate to an anti-conglomerate America by illuminating its self-governance and adherence to its own principles in lieu of the government’s. The minimalist style and effective language of this advertisement reinforces its connection to a strengthening anti-conglomerate community.

Mobil Ad. November 19, 1979. Time Magazine. Pg. 2

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While the previous advertisement attempts to disassociate from the mainstream American public, this advertisement clearly attempts to identify with it. The decade in between the publication of these two ads, especially because of its radical social, political, and economic changes, reveals the shift in advertising on the part of oil companies. While the first advertisement was limited to typed print, this ad is clearly dominated by its visual magnitude. Snow-capped mountains dominate the background, while the foreground reveals the centerpiece of the ad. The advertisement’s publication in November of 1979 was just a year shy of the historic 1980 Winter Olympic games, highlighted by the “Miracle” victory of the United States hockey team against the Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York.
By lowering the vantage point of the viewer, the advertisement heightens the importance of the product (Mobil1 Synthetic Motor Oil). Around the can of motor oil lies an Olympic Medal, presumed to be a gold medal given the fact that the product is Mobil1. The imagery of the Winter Olympics, printed in the previous winter, explains the importance of the product since its guarantees to help “you get started clear down to 35 degrees below.”
The product’s claims are then reinforced when the advertisement notes that the information it has provided is “a cold fact”. The repeated use of “cold” imagery harshly contrasts the very literal nature of the first advertisement. It also connects both the competitive spirit and patriotism of the United States with the character of the product. Instead of trying to relate to a more suspicious counterculture like the first ad, this advertisement follows traditional American values of patriotism, conveyed through the 1980 Olympic Games. Interestingly enough however, the protest movement was by no means over even as late as the late 70’s.
In fact, many people were still protesting the oil gas shortage in 1979, the same year as this ad’s publication. Gas was still a hot topic in the country at the time, powerful enough to catalyze Congress’ Conservation act and the CAFÉ standards (Corporate Average Fuel Economy). The crisis was also powerful enough to change the national speed limit to 55 miles per hour in order to use fuel effectively. The competition between oil companies reached its peak, and advertising wielded huge influence in the gas market. The American people were looking for the most effective product, and by relating Mobil’s product with the overall excellence of the Olympic Games, advertisers were able to generate support for the product. As opposed to the first advertisement, this page relies on visual imagery and current American pop culture in order to attract customers to buy Mobil1 gas and oil. Instead of differentiating itself from competitors (or conglomerates in general), this advertisement reinforces its product’s abilities by connecting it to mainstream culture.