? Nostalgia

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

As I watched the Menard’s Video that is linked to the CTT website, I couldn’t help but feel that it reminded me of watching TV in the 1950’s when Buffalo Bill and Howdy Doody would interupt the story line and go right into a Wonder Bread Commercial, or Lucy and Dezi would talk about Cigarettes in the middle of the show, blurring the line between advertising and entertainment.

It does make one wonder how much the advertisers influence the content/editorial policy at CTT. Clearly one does not see overtly negative product reviews, although there were a few times when I thought the product was “damned by faint praise.”

There probably is a fine line between not “biting the hand that feeds them” and selling the product for the advertiser, but I think the Menard’s video crossed it.[2c]

LittleTommy

2

It’s nothing new. Go to http://ctt.trains.com/videos/2018/11/holiday-gift-guide for videos from other CTT advertisers.

I worked in retail for 16 years and almost always was involved in helping to transition the seasonal departments of those stores (Builder’s Square, Hills, Ames and Michael’s to name a few) from the summer line to Christmas stock in late summer. Almost every day you’d hear “Christmas already?” or “it’s too early” or some even saucier commentary I can’t repeat here. But I’d estimate at least 40% of shoppers perused the sections that were completed or just plain dug into the boxes of merchandise we hadn’t set up yet to see what we were going to carry.

The thing I learned is this: It’s NEVER to early to think about Christmas, nor is it impossible to have the Christmas spirit outside of the “official, accepted and communally accepted celebrational timeperiod.” Rather, what it’s ALWAYS too early for, is reminding people how much money they’re likely to divest their accounts of before and during the season.

The trick is to ignore the materialism. Which aint so easy.

3

I’m sure CTT was well-paid for that Menards commercial, how much is none of my business, but I look at it this way.

Media of any kind, print, TV, radio, and now on-line Internet based, in one way or another, has always been a way for the advertiser to present themselves to the buying public and for the various mediums to present the buying public to the advertiser, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s capitalism, and that’s one of the things that’s given us the standard of living we all enjoy.

I will say Menards has to be credited with taking the risk of trying to infuse new life into what some people consider to be a moribund hobby by making an O gauge product line affordable, and very much so. In a way, you could call them the Marx of the 21st Century.

Now if they really take the plunge and come out with a line of locomotives, watch out! If they go the whole hog and market complete inexpensive starter sets, well now, won’t that be interesting?

All that being said, I wouldn’t assume CTT has sold its soul to Menards any more than they’ve sold their soul to Lionel, MTH, Atlas, Trainworld, Charles Ro, or any other toy train company or retailer.

Lucy and Desi talking about cigarettes? Hey, I remember Fred and Wilma Flintstone lightin’ up Winstons! Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m a geezer…