90's Nostalgic Advertisements

The 90's was filled with commercials, t.v shows , toys and foods that defined my childhood and had it's own unique flavour. It's weird watching a commercials we see on television now and have it be "normal". Looking back at what "normal" was in the 90's really puts things into perspective. But I have to admit, I still love those commercials and wish someone would make a current advertisement that would homage this great decade.

With vibrant colours, fast editing, weird angles, and creative humour, here are a few 90's commercials that I found awesome. 

1. Sega: Genesis Commercial 

What I remember most about Sega was the "SEGA" shout at the end of each commercial. I also really enjoy the exaggeration used to describe the graphics processing. The angles, quick editing and close-ups were themes commonly found in the 90's. Even though I personally owned a NES, I still remember these Sega's ads. 

2.Canadian PSA's: Don't Put it in your mouth

I still use the wisdom that this PSA has provided me to this day. I remember seeing this commercial hundreds of times, preventing children from choking by singing them a cheerful jingle. Watching this commercial now (being a college student) I can see how someone may misinterpret the innocent message this commercial is trying to preach...that being said it's still good advice. I also always wondered why they included anthropomorphic vegetables, but I do understand from their perspective. 

3. YTV Commercials 

Commercials and movies these days are always pushing the capabilities of 3D images. Looking back at the early days of CG however, they were not as aesthetically pleasing. This style however really defined the 90's, from it's t.v shows like reboot and beast wars to it's advertising; I'll always appreciate it for it's shiny textures and unique colours.

4. McDonald's Commercials

I wounder what ever happened to the Hamburgular, or Grimis or that ironically cheeseburger addicted mayor? Although Ronald McDonald is still the mascot for the brand, it's weird to not see them in that many recent commercials. I understand McDonalds is trying to build it's reputation as a "premium" restaurant but, I would still love to see them use these characters in future campaigns. 

5. Nintendo 64: Super Smash Bros

As someone who played it in his childhood and owns it for the Wii U I've got to say they've come a long way. From the roster of characters expanding across multiple brands, the refined controls and the variety of match modes the new version has allot to offer. That being said I still really love this ad for the life the combating life sized characters. The over exaggeration and fast editing also gives it that 90's energy. I still remember Fox being the first character I played and how much fun it is when you combat your friends. Overall this commercial is great.  

In conclusion 90's advertising had a unique style that gave the decade character. Hopefully future ads can recapture the spirit and energy of this decade so we can experience the nostalgia of our childhoods. 

Console Wars: Past and Future

Video gaming consoles are a great way of socializing with others and relaxing after a hard day's work. Although they are fun experience video gaming consoles cost can be quite costly and can average between $300-$600 depending on the offer. That's not even including access to online,additional games and equipment.With all these options selecting the correct one for you can be challenging.

This fierce competition to be the best has created a unique microcosm of conflict among the player bases of the top 3 companies; Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Each company provides its customers with their own unique IP's (Intellectual Properties) and gaming experiences that reflect what the consumer is looking for. For example the Nintendo Wii is marketed around a family focused target market and promote games such as the Mario franchise and the Wii Sports games. Consoles such as Sony and Microsoft however are targeted towards the more "hardcore" gamers and promote IP's such as Halo on the Xbox One and Killzone for the Playstation. What's interesting about these two consoles are the fact that despite being identical technically the amount of passion and support from their respective fans is intense.

The "Console Wars" is a term which refers to the conflict between which console is superior. Weather it is technologically superior, better game IP's, better frame rate and even larger console sales, the player bases of each console are determined to express their opinions everywhere online. Examples include gaming discussion boards, YouTube comments and social media are just a few locations of where people will ignite a debate over which is better.

This phenomenon was even parodied in a 3 part mini series on South Park where Kyle, Cartman, Kenny and Stan must choose between their friendship and which console to choose.The series ends in a literal physical fight between Bill Gates and the president of Sony which personifies the conflict and leads the children to come to a realization.

But is this conflict really negative or is it a win-win situation?. Personally I think this console war is the best thing that could happen to these companies. When 80% of your profits come from 20% of your loyal customers base, having consumers who will go out of their way to promote your brand can only help benefit your company. Consumers advertise and promote all over social media and defend their console choice as If it was their own country they were defending.

Even though the console wars are seen as primarily between the Sony Playstation 4 and the Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo has also seen it's fair share of competition in the late 80's - early 90's between Sega. Similar to today where graphics and processing are used as support in arguments, in the 90's it was all about bits and blast processing. A great example includes this Sega Jaguar advertisement which solely focuses on the graphics of the console making the product superior. Despite heavy advertising on the amount of bits compared to it's competition, the Jaguar provided little in entertaining game play or audio which lead to it's slow decline.

In conclusion the console wars have been happening since gaming was invented and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. As long as there are options people will fight in order to prove that their decision was the best one. This conflict can be harnessed in order advertise each console and providing your consumer base with USP's allows them to micro market your console all over the internet. It's interesting to see how much passion individuals will have when promoting their plastic boxes and it's interesting to see the psychology behind it. Lets just hope we don't let this jingoism impede research and development of new consoles and technologies and that future tech is determined by consumers and capitalism.