Ridiculous Hi-Fi Audio Ads

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Sonik Wiz

👂 500 MPH EARS 👂
QQ Supporter
Joined
May 30, 2005
Messages
5,301
Location
Kansas City
The problem with much of the advertising for electronic products in general & audio in particular is that the ad men behind it don't understand it technically or even what appeals to potential customer. This has led to some hilarious ad campaigns. And hey, who remembers how awful the Radio Shack catalog covers were?

Quadraphonics was even more misunderstood. Akai had their share of embarrassing ads:

akai 1.jpg


AKAI 2.jpg


One guy, 4 channels, 4 speakers, 4 women. What could possibly be wrong with this?
 
Guys, I WAS there from the mid 60's on as a hobbyist and in the business beginning at the height of Quad. Women rarely worked in hi-fi stores, except as cashiers. Female customers? Where? Not at our stores. By the late '70's, all that changed. Middle aged and young males were the ONLY target audience in the Quad & pre-Quad era's.

Milwaukee's John Koss liked to use humorous and sometimes edgy ads. Anyone driving on I-43 on the North side of Milwaukee saw billboards that certainly got your attention. They were atop Koss' facility. And they changed ads fairly often.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7fq1mm2vrl8/TQ6KGSL1wvI/AAAAAAAABv0/ywesc3VFQiY/s1600/Koss71.jpg
More Koss history and crazy ads:

https://www.koss.com/history
 
Guys, I WAS there from the mid 60's on as a hobbyist and in the business beginning at the height of Quad. Women rarely worked in hi-fi stores, except as cashiers. Female customers? Where? Not at our stores. By the late '70's, all that changed. Middle aged and young males were the ONLY target audience in the Quad & pre-Quad era's.

Milwaukee's John Koss liked to use humorous and sometimes edgy ads. Anyone driving on I-43 on the North side of Milwaukee saw billboards that certainly got your attention. They were atop Koss' facility. And they changed ads fairly often.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7fq1mm2vrl8/TQ6KGSL1wvI/AAAAAAAABv0/ywesc3VFQiY/s1600/Koss71.jpg
More Koss history and crazy ads:

https://www.koss.com/history

That was pretty risque for the time. Somethings wrong with both of them. I looked through all the headphone history but failed to see my Koss Quadraphones (Quadrafones?) circa mid-70's. Good post thanks!

It seems when audio advertiaing sticks to simple product shots they do OK. It's when they dream up something that seems clever involving real human beings that it goes astray:
SONY STEREO.jpg

So they can screw up with only 2 chs as well!
 
Back
Top