Seeing ads from corporations eager to appear “woke” is a strange conclusion to a hundred years of advertising. If you’ve studied old magazines, you know how it used to be.
The 1910s: “Those who congregate in particular places know the virtues of scientific foot-elevation. Our Wicker Ottoman is made in the most modern factories [picture of enormous brick structure belching clouds of dark smoke into the sky], contains no foreign lards, and is finished with harmonious lacquer. The sharp pointed ends of some strands will stimulate the circulation. Amalgamated Wicker Ottomans &…
