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In front of the house stands the new car, a Volkswagen, ready for a weekend trip. In the living room, the television flickers—now finally in color—and the children amuse themselves with board games from Pelikan and toy cars from Stabo. A teenager sits on the couch, absorbed in the latest issue of BRAVO, while pop music plays through new headphones by Sennheiser. Next door, in the study, stands a home computer from Commodore—a revolution in office work. This is the image of the Federal Republic in the 1970s and 1980s conveyed by Joachim Giesel’s advertising photography from that period.

Today, his images can be regarded as historical documents that allow us to trace the consumer culture and prosperity of West Germany at the time. Although the so-called German economic miracle came to an end in the mid-1970s with the global oil crisis, the standard of living of citizens continued to rise steadily over these two decades. The automotive industry boomed, private car ownership became a status symbol, and in the course of technological change, stereo systems, color televisions, and soon the first personal computers found their way into West German households. Companies increasingly relied on customer-oriented advertising and new marketing strategies—developments from which Giesel also benefited. After becoming self-employed in the mid-1960s, advertising photography proved to be a profitable foundation for his career. Advertising agencies provided him with commissions that secured his financial stability early on. Hanover—the city where Giesel lived and worked—was an important economic hub and home to many large companies. Through his work for brands such as Rossmann, Telefunken, and Blaupunkt, he quickly made a name for himself in this highly competitive field. Advertising photography thus remained an essential component of his professional activity well into the 2000s. The range of brands and products expanded steadily over the decades, appearing on posters with smiling faces and memorable slogans, in enticing newspaper advertisements, and in colorful catalogs. Advertising of those years shaped West German society in many ways by appealing to consumer desire through both image and text. At the same time, social values and needs found their way into advertising, which Giesel incorporated into his photographic work on behalf of agencies. Viewed today, product advertisements featuring his photographs may seem outdated—partly because advertising at the time was still heavily shaped by sexism and reproduced stereotypical gender roles. Others, however, may make us smile or evoke nostalgic memories. Together, they illustrate what people desired at the time, how they consumed, and what constituted the good life in the Federal Republic.

CHARLOTTE STOBBE

 

| Kräußlich, Werbekatalog echte Felldecken (Advertising catalog “Genuine Fur Blankets”), Schnelldorf, 1972

| Hella, Wandkalender 1987 (Wall Calendar 1987), Lippstadt, before 1987

| Werbeanzeigen von Commodore für das Microcomputer-System cbm 3001 (Advertisements by Commodore for the Microcomputer System cbm 3001), Neu-Isenburg, 1979

| Stabo, Werbeanzeige für den LKW Mercedes 608 (Advertisement for the Mercedes 608 truck), Hildesheim, 1972

| BRAVO, Heft Nr. 21, 16. Mai 1974 (issue no. 21, May 16, 1974)

| Sennheiser, Werbeanzeige für die HD 4004-Kopfhörer (Advertisement for the HD 4004 headphones), in: BRAVO, Heft Nr. 21, 16. Mai 1974 (issue no. 21, May 16, 1974), p. 21