Good branding is a key part in making period pieces come to life.
America loves nostalgia. TV shows like Mad Men, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Queen’s Gambit, and Lessons in Chemistry demonstrate a growing penchant for period pieces. These shows are popular because they allow audiences who lived in those times to relive those years while giving new audiences a chance to experience life in another time.
For shows like these to capture the hearts of millions of viewers, they need to excel in recreating bygone eras. This requires a mix of creative writing that reflects societal norms of the time, traditional gender roles, outdated parenting methods, and technologies that may no longer exist.
One of the most essential elements is also one that the audience might overlook entirely: Items, brands, or products that contributed to daily life back then.
It might seem like a small and nonessential part of a show. But a modern Tide bottle with today’s logo, colors, and packaging sitting in a 1950’s laundry room doesn’t fit the storyline. The program loses its authenticity.
Here’s how branding plays a role in bringing the past to life and how it contributes to authentic stories.
Here’s how producers master the art of historical branding, allowing viewers to step back in time.
Research, Research, Research
In order to get all the details right, producers perform a tremendous amount of research. This might include:
- Scouring old ads and photos
- Reading historical documents
- Talking to individuals who lived during those times (if possible)
- Reviewing other shows or movies made during or representing those times
Producers pay extra attention to branding elements. Everything from retailers to vehicles to children’s toys and games to household products can reflect the flavor of a time period.
It’s not enough to use an older version of a product. You wouldn’t see a zipper on a dress in the 1400s or a Coca Cola polar bear on an advertisement in the 1940s. When it comes to branding, it’s important to choose packaging, logos, and products that most closely align with the time period. Tracking different iterations of products over the years provides a key piece of research for recreation.
Setting the Scene
For showrunners, procuring various products, furniture, vehicles, and other tangibles is a daunting task. Think of the sheer number of items that fill grocery store shelves, homes, and offices at any given time—then try to recreate these same vignettes in another decade.
To fill frames upon frames of TV with products of that time, most of these products need to be fabricated or reproduced. We can’t assume these product packages exist at the time of filming. Even if they did, they’re likely aged and faded. Since these shows are set in a moment in time, the products need to look as though they are new.
Shows will combine branding with creative photography and editing techniques to create a specific feel. They desaturate colors, decrease contrast, and introduce grain to the final reel. Editing techniques make the show appear to be filmed on equipment available at the time.
With the stage set, shows can connect with viewers on an authentic level. The time period of the show becomes clear, even when it’s not explicitly stated.
What Do Historically Accurate TV Shows Need to Get Right?
For historical TV shows to make honest connections with audiences, producers need to consider the whole package and all of the moments that comprise it. It’s not a light undertaking, especially considering the following elements:
- Logos: The logos on each product need to be an exact mirror of the logos used at the time of filming. Brand logos evolve over time in shape, style, and color, and the artists who recreate these products need to match the logos at that time.
- Colors: Printing, inks, and color processing in packaging design was not as robust as it is now. This means the recreation of these packages needs to color match the original boxes.
- Package style: Product packaging has evolved tremendously. Designers need to mirror the packaging of the times. For example, glass bottles instead of plastic, boxes with hard lines, or metal (e.g., lunch boxes, toys) were common in decades past.
- What’s in the box: Set designers also need to understand what the product in the packaging looked like. This is especially important if actors will be opening packages or using the products, such as pouring laundry soap into a washing machine.
Good branding in period pieces requires macro and micro views to maintain historical accuracy. These elements help to tell—and sell—the story. And for those viewers who used these same products or brands in everyday life back then, seeing them on the screen can build the emotional element that makes the story all the more impactful.
Branding Takeaways from Historically Accurate TV Shows
What seems like a small detail is actually critical to the authenticity of a show. Today, eagle-eyed viewers are quick to Tweet about potential inaccuracies or elements that are out of place (remember the disposable coffee cup in Game of Thrones?). While this can be a good thing to drive more viewers to the show to see if they can spot the elephant in the room themselves, it ultimately fractures the experience and fails to maintain those honest connections people love about period pieces.
This goes to show that branding runs deep and it was just as important mid-century as it is now.