Kellogg's Pep Cereal Ad

In 1938, The Kellogg Company came out with a cereal called, "Pep". It was one of the first cereals to be fortified with vitamins.

The target audience of this ad is both men and women. Men are targets because of the main tagline, suggesting that it will improve their wives' looks. Women are targets because women would ideally want to obtain the "cuter" looks.

The ad is broken into three parts: the bulk of the picture is of the husband and wife. He is dressed in a business suit while his agreeable and happy wife is dressed in a tradition dress, lined at the knee, an apron and is equiped with a handy duster. The dialogue is soley by the husband as he suggests that the cereal gives her better looks the harder she works. The second part is the mini comic in the bottom right hand side. It reaffirms the idea that because she got her vitamins, she seems to "thrive" whereas the husband is "all tuckered out by closing time". Lastly the picture features the cereal's box with a tagline at the bottom on the ad saying, "Vitamins for pep! PEP for vitamins!"

Over all the ad plays upon the traditional gender roles during the 1930s. The husband is dressed in a business suit, the obious bread-winner, while the wife is the home maker. What is different about this ad is that it suggests that homemaking work is almost as equal to the work outside the home.