When the 1981 election of Ronald Reagan ushered in the deregulation of government, corporations were able to undertake massive acquisitions and mergers. Because of such a tolerance for mass corporate media growth, the further normalization and globalization of television sets in the home and a free-market mentality, the advertising industry became a vastly competitive one.

The 80’s have come to be known as “the decade of the deal.” Under Reagan’s ‘Less Government” philosophy, banks were jumping to finance high profile corporate consolidation, and those agencies that were pulling in the big bucks were finding ways to further increase their hold on the market. This is the decade that brought about mergers like Time and Warner Communications, KK&R and RJR Nabisco.

This is why some of the greatest advertisements can be found in this decade. Companies wanted to get noticed - the budget was big and old conventions were thrown out the window. We particularly like this era of advertising, especially in fashion. This is leading up to the early 90’s, when Tom Ford spearheaded the sexual revolution with his edgy, high exposure campaigns for Gucci.

We worked to bring back classic 80’s glamour in one of our own campaigns, bursting with lucious  chest hair and sweaty headbands. Take a look at some of our favorite photos from the shoot.