Smith and Wesson's Classic Ads

Smith and Wesson has had many different advertising campaigns.  Like many companies, some were more successful than others.  The intriguing part about their ads is that it allows the viewer to get a snap shot of American life throughout history.

Another fabulous part that makes these ads amazing is that they list several revolvers with their model numbers and calibers in the ads.  The cowboy ad depicts a young man running on a horse in what looks like a getaway while shooting his S&W revolver.  Another classic ad is one where a man is fighting off a bear and while this is extremely unlikely, it did sell pistols.  I promise you can't sell a pistol today advertising that you might need it to fight off a bear.  With less than a 150 bear attacks recorded since 1850, the chances of shooting a bear with your revolver is slim.  You would have a better campaign marketing to jewelry store owners but that's another story.  There is nothing sexy about that and the imagination can't run wild thinking about defending your jewelry as it can when fighting off a bear.
The ads are rich with history and we can reflect on America and where it was on the timeline of life during these periods.