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Posts Filed Under: advertising

2 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: The Most Outrageous Mothers of Them All

Frank Zappa's ensemble were a sensation at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1973.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Rolling Stone, March 15, 1973.
2 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: Union-Friendly Garments

From the corner of Queen and Yonge, a clothier proudly states their support for organized labour.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Citizen and Country, May 4, 1900.

Vintage Toronto Ads: Prime Time for Sports Fans

A switch from phone-in to phone-out created one of the cornerstones of The Fan.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Maclean's, November 27, 1989.

Vintage Toronto Ads: Hobnobbing with Authors

A revamp of the Telegram's book page in 1971 didn't please everyone.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: the Telegram, May 24, 1971.
2 Comments

Five Years of Vintage Ads

We celebrate the fifth anniversary of our Vintage Ads column with a best-of edition.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Toronto Life, February 1978.

Vintage Toronto Ads: A Very Special Birthday Party

Vintage Toronto Ads celebrates its fifth anniversary by looking at Eaton's 100th.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: the Globe and Mail, January 1, 1969.
25 Comments

Spotted: Disinformation Pillars

Astral Media's blocky advertisements get schooled—literally—by annoyed civilians.

By Kyle Bachan

vandalist010812
37 Comments

Reining in the Info-less Info Pillars

Small steps in the fight against the too-large, too-bright additions to our streets.

By Hamutal Dotan

Side view of the information pillars; this one is near the southwest corner of King and Jarvis.
3 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: Clean, Rich Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer

But was it a hipster brew a century ago?

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: the Mail and Empire, November 2, 1911.
1 Comment

Vintage Toronto Ads: The Dapper Debt Collector

But what if stylish uniforms and gentle persuasion failed to move economic delinquents?

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: The Toronto City Directory for 1890 (Toronto: R.L. Polk & Co., 1890).
2 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: Coming Christmas Day—The Odeon York!

Leave the kids at home for an adults-only opening bill!

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: the Toronto Star, December 24, 1969.
4 Comments

2011 Villain: Astral Media Info Pillars

Nominated for: taking up a lot of space to tell us very little.

By Steve Fisher • Illustration by Sasha Plotnikova

20111219astralmedia
2 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: Comes a Time When Rust Never Sleeps

In 1978, Neil Young performed a set at Maple Leaf Gardens that came out of the blue and went into the black.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Rolling Stone, October 5, 1978.
51 Comments

LED Billboards Threaten Safety and Public Space, Say Critics

More than mere annoyances, these big signs may have big implications for the future of outdoor advertising in Toronto.

By Graeme Bayliss

This section of the Gardiner Expressway, known as "Billboard Alley," may soon be home to three massive LED billboards. Photo by {a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/241144126/in/photostream/”}Ian{/a} from the {a href=”http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist/”}Torontoist Flickr Pool{/a}.
97 Comments

City of the Setting Sun

A campaign aims to bring down the Toronto Sun by urging a boycott of companies that advertise in the paper.

By Lindsay Lafreniere • Illustration by Chloe Cushman

20111205sunset
3 Comments

Meeting the Man Our Men Could Smell Like

Old Spice spokesperson Isaiah Mustafa graced our humble city with his presence today, for a meet-and-greet at the Eaton Centre.

By Robin Hatch • Photo by Lodoe-Laura Haines-Wangda

Not one, not two, but three Isaiah Mustafa's in one shot. Now that's value.
6 Comments

Vintage Toronto Ads: Got the Aluminum Munchies?

Everyone was using aluminum in the late 1950s, including junk food manufacturers.

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: Saturday Night, November 21, 1959.
7 Comments

“Catvertising” Swipes at the Internet

How Toronto ad agency John St. attracted international attention with a YouTube advertising spoof.

By Kelli Korducki

Screen shot 2011-11-15 at 2.32.20 PM
1 Comment

Vintage Toronto Ads: Party at the PoP Shoppe

Celebrate the grand opening of a childhood favourite's newest location!

By Jamie Bradburn

Source: the Toronto Star, October 21, 1976.
24 Comments

The Information-Free Info Pillar

Why the City's new "InfoToGo" pillars contain no actual info.

By Steve Kupferman

Side view of the information pillars; this one is near the southwest corner of King and Jarvis.