American influences on Irish advertising and consumerism 1900-1960: fashioning Irishwomen

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this article is to explore how, and to what extent, American advertising and its consumerist messages infiltrated Irish society in the period 1922-1960.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on an analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Findings

The article argues that American advertising practices and messages influenced the advertising industry in Ireland. It also contributed to the technical, style and content of Irish advertising and informed the Irish woman's view of American consumerism. Finally, it suggests that Irish society was more open to external influences, which challenges the narrative of Ireland as a closed society before 1960.

Originality/value

The article is based on extensive original research and opens up a number of new areas of research relating to the history of consumerism and advertising in Ireland.

Citation

Whelan, B. (2014), "American influences on Irish advertising and consumerism 1900-1960: fashioning Irishwomen", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 159-182. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-04-2013-0019