Reach out and touch someone.
Y’all know I like vintage magazines. Today I picked up an old Woman’s Day containing this ad for Ma Bell.
It’s fun to look at these ads as little retro bubbles of kitsch. But these ads weren’t made to be quaint, they were made to sell something. And while the products are often long gone, sometimes the ads still work. This ad encouraging people to call someone long distance actually made me call someone long distance.
I have a friend whom I’ve known since we were both nine years old. We went through elementary, middle, and high school together, and even went to the same college. Over the years as our lives have taken us further apart, we’ve still sent Christmas cards and called each other on our birthdays. Even though we’re not in regular contact anymore, I still consider him a close friend.
Looking at the ad, I realized that we didn’t exchange Christmas cards last year, and we didn’t call each other on our birthdays, which are both in February. So I called this afternoon. I got his answering machine and left a message. When he hears who it is, I’ll bet he smiles. I did, just to hear his voice, even if it was telling me to wait for the beep.
So thanks, anonymous ad writer of 1957, I appreciate the nudge.