The Fascinating Ads from Old Moore’s Almanac of 1969

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Advertising in the 1969 Old Moore’s Almanac was very different than it is today. For starters, there were a lot more ads. In a pre-internet world, newspaper and magazine ads were one of the simplest ways to market a product.

An ad for Carrolls cigarettes from the 1969 Almanac

Of course, cigarettes were still advertised at that time, and the Almanac featured this rather strange ad for Carrolls. Perhaps they were suggesting that smoking would provide work for idle hands!

Even in 1969 the fight against tobacco was evident. The first causal connection between smoking and lung cancer had been established in the 1950s. In 1965, television cigarette advertising was banned in the UK, and in 1970 the Americans followed suit. In Ireland we were a bit slower to catch up – restrictions didn’t begin to appear here until 1979.

But the 1969 Almanac was way ahead of the times in Ireland. It carried an ad from the Stanley Institute promising readers a free booklet to help them quit smoking. The Stanley Institute ad included some nuggets of wisdom and advice to educate smokers:

Most heavy smokers suffer from catarrh, which they regard as a nuisance complaint and not serious enough to justify giving up their pipes or cigarettes. Yet catarrh reduces mental and physical efficiency to an alarming degree, dulling the mind, upsetting the stomach.

Nerves On Edge?

Among the other 1969 ads, there was A Wonderful Drugless Treatment for Nervous Disorders.  According to this ad:

In this jet age almost everybody suffers from nervous tension at times, but to most people this is a passing phase. To those whose nerves are always “on edge,” however, life can be very trying indeed.

Some things don’t change. If anything, the number of people whose nerves are on edge has probably increased a lot since 1969 – at least we didn’t have Brexit and constant news feeds back then. Readers were invited to write for details of a simple home treatment that would help them to acquire “strong nerves, robust health and a happy confident personality.”

Don’t Lose That Fine Head of Hair

arthur j pye's scalp treatment machine

In another of the 1969 ads, world-famous hair specialist Arthur J. Pye asked readers “is your hair worth a 4d stamp?” Readers are advised not to dismiss hair loss as inevitable… “this type of thinking has led to the loss of many a fine head of hair when the right treatment at an early stage may have saved the day.”

Arthur J. Pye had his own hairdresser shop in Blackpool until 1976. He even developed a scalp treatment machine which he claimed could stimulate hair growth. These machines are still sold by antique dealers or on ebay – one online antique dealer advises its customers that it is a conversation piece only and should not be used!

If you liked our look back at the ads of 1969, why not take a look at our review of Old Moore’s psychic predictions for 1969.

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