AT&T Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Apr272016 by Chris Holmes3 Comments

Brochure Beauties #5: Pacific Telephone Colorphones

Ephemera

This lovely brochure comes from Pacific Telephone, and advertises their line of extension colorphones. There's no date on this one, but I think 1960s is a reasonable guess. The front of the brochure features a delightful mid-century color palette that definitely predates the earth tones of the '70s. Perhaps someone more versed in commercial artwork of the period can figure out a more precise date range? Pacific's full name at the time of this brochure was The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, by which they were known until 1983. That's the year they moved from their parent company, AT&T, to one of the many new Baby Bells formed in the wake of the former company's breakup, Pacific Telesis. Today, the company once known as Pacific Telephone operates as the Pac...

Oct242013 by Jeff StantonNo Comments

The Saul Bass AT&T Logo Design, 1969

History

AT&T was one of the largest companies of the 20th century and put considerable effort into documenting its own history and accomplishments. In recent years, the films created as part of that effort have been released through the AT&T Archives, and we at The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit will be taking a look at them, with a particular focus on the mid-century styles that you've come to expect here. To kick off our series digging through the archives, let's look at the introduction of the Bell System logo of 1969. If you're anything like me, you tend to vacation in places that trade on nostalgia -- ones that tend to have "Cape" or "Towne" in their names. Inevitably, there will be a store in the town, usually themed as a hardware store, that sells enameled metal advertis...

May82013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

A Gallery of Vintage Mother’s Day Ads, Vol. 2

Retrotisements

Has it already been a year since my last gallery of vintage Mother's Day ads ran? Where does the time go? Well, I'm back with another 10 classic advertisements to commemorate that most special lady in our lives -- mom. Of course, the usual suspects are here -- flowers and chocolates -- but I think this year's gallery manages to mix things up a bit. I think this is the first time I've seen a Mother's Day champagne ad after all.

Jan272012 by Chris Holmes5 Comments

What Am I, Like, Some Kind of Summoner?

Advertising

Just about the only time I see this AT&T commercial is during football games, and I've enjoyed it consistently for a few months. So here is the "Romantic Dinner" AT&T iPhone commercial. I'm not going to lie, there's a chance I may have been guilty of summoning scores/highlights on my iPhone during dinner or a conversation with Mrs. Suit. In my defense, sometimes you just gotta know what's going on in the game. But I'm at least smart enough to keep quiet while doing it. Unless the Raiders score. Oh, and as best as I can figure, the actress in this spot is Anicka Haywood. If someone knows better please let me know.

Dec202010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

2010: The Gray Flannel Suit Year That Was

Blogstuff

It's been another fun year for me in running this site, and I'd like to thank all of you who visit regularly, irregularly, or even once. I'd also like to thank everyone who has helped by contributing comments and post ideas. It's good to know there's at least a few people out there who enjoy my little corner of the intertubes. Since we're in the midst of year-end review season, let's take a quick look back at the posting year that was 2010 for The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Most Popular Posts This is really what it's all about right? It's always interesting to me to see what content takes off and what content gets largely ignored. Since I want to stay positive I'll focus on the former. So here are the eleven most-popular posts on the site for 2010. #11. Happy Hoff-Day! - Davi...

Jul12010 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

Commercials I hate – AT&T Rethink Possible

Advertising

In the never-ending smart phone arms race, providers are becoming increasingly desperate to prove to consumers just how life-changing their products are. AT&T recently upped the ante by linking the speed of their 3G network to the very future of our country's leadership. Oh well isn't that just precious. Look at the vaguely ethnic couple and their awesome kid. What the hell are they anyway? Latino? Native American? Even worse, am I alone in thinking that those two look like brother and sister? Creepy. And speaking of creepy - thanks to AT&T's powerful 3G network, you can increase the efficiency of your stalking by 73%! All this wouldn't be so bad if they didn't run this commercial eight billion times a day. Ugh.

Mar12010 by Chris Holmes6 Comments

A brief recap of my Olympics experience

Sports

I didn't have the gumption to post on a daily basis during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but I did watch a lot of them. As I get older I find that I enjoy the Olympics more and more, although I think I prefer the Summer games more. So here's some random observations on the 17-day spectacle that was the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics... • First off, I know I'm not the only one who thought NBC's coverage sucked hard. I don't even care about the tape delays so much (since I'm not around to watch during the day anyway), but there was so much else to hate. Look, I get that television networks are businesses, and the primary goal of a business is to make money. But really, could NBC have been any more clumsy about the unending barrage of commercials? After awhile it felt like I was watching...

Jan252010 by Chris Holmes4 Comments

Now with 15% more words!

Advertising

By now you've probably seen the ad campaign for Pepsi's so-called "Throwback" soda. The main selling point is that it's made with real sugar, which of course only serves to point out that their usual product is not (it is of course made with high fructose corn syrup, which is evil, but that's for another time). (Incidentally, you can also find "Throwback" Mountain Dew and "Heritage" Dr. Pepper for a limited time.) So PepsiCo now finds itself in the awkward position of trying to sell their limited-edition product by making their flagship product seem less desirable or outright inferior by comparison. After all, any sane person watching an ad touting Throwback Pepsi as being made with real sugar might ask themselves, "So what's in the Pepsi I drink now? And is it any good?" It's a bo...

Feb262009 by Chris Holmes2 Comments

Vintage ephemera: Best Western/AT&T Business Resource Guide

Ephemera

Alright, I'm probably stretching the definition of "vintage" pretty thin here. But here's the thing -- even though this magazine (found in a Best Western in Quakertown, PA just last year) was published in 1996, it sure seems like a lifetime ago. That's because even more than clothes or hairstyles, few things can almost instantly date a publication like images of current technology. Don't believe me? Well here's just a sampling of the pictures and ads scattered throughout the 1996 Best Western/AT&T Business Resource Guide, a publication for the modern executive on the go...into a time warp. (for fun slideshow action, click here) (more…)