Vintage Market Basket Ad Will Make You Say ‘What Were They Thinking?’

After we stumbled across a vintage newspaper ad for DeMoulas (before it was rebranded by the DeMoulas family as Market Basket), we had to share it with you.

There were so many things in the ad that are pure gold.

Naturally, with the ad being nearly 70 years old, you'd expect out-of-date references and insanely cheap prices, but we just have so much to say about it.

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First off, much of it looks like it came hot off the presses from a season 1 episode of Mad Men. Right or wrong, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to get away with advertising "roses for the ladies" in 2023. What makes you assume all ladies like flowers? What? Men can't like a nice long-stem rose?

How about the pitch for Anacin? In 2023, I'd reach for Motrin, Advil, then Tylenol (in that order) if I had a headache. Aspirin would be last on my list. I'm no doctor, and I may be wrong, but I've never heard of Anacin being a treatment for depression. Again, consult your physician, but it feels odd to advertise aspirin tablets boosted with caffeine.

While we're on the topic of strange uses for basic products, can we talk about the way people in the 1950s apparently used Listerine? Who knew that Listerine mouthwash doubled as a dandruff shampoo? I don't recall ever seeing that on the bottle.

I like chicken as much as the next guy, but I'd have a hard time eating a four-legged, three-breasted chicken.  I could get on board with lobster for 39 cents a pound, though.

Winning an Edsel was a pretty big deal in 1957, but I'd be willing to bet there are more people today who have no idea that an Edsel is a discontinued car brand named after the son of Henry Ford.

Finally, 221 prizes? Why 221? Couldn't they dig up four more? Or cut 21? Such an odd number of prizes.

How many other problematic things can you spot in this old-fashioned ad?  Leave your answers in the comments.