Context – 1950s

Historical Context – When it was made and the history of what was going on at the time
Social Context – What society is like during the time (Who made it and who the audience is)
Cultural Context – Where the product was made

-Women’s role was to stay in the home, do the cooking and the cleaning, and take care of the children
-Men’s role was to go out and work to bring home money
-Rationing: The controlled distribution of scarce resources. It controls the size of the ration being
distributed on a particular day or at a particular time. This ended after World War Two finished,
however, people weren’t ready to just revert back to normal life.
-Consumerism: The protection or promotion of the interests of consumers. Post war, the country was
once again able to afford to consume resources on a regular level. Households now didn’t have to
ration their products and companies could then start promoting again.
-In the 1950s, Diners Club founder Frank McNamara introduced the credit card. It wasn’t a traditional
plastic card like today, but the idea that people could use money without bringing in coins or notes
was real. The public liked the idea and by 1951, he had 20,000 people supporting his system.
-People in the 1950s typically had electronic devices, whereas 1930s saw no such thing. In 1957, a
handful of shops used self-serve systems compared to paying at a counter. The 1950s saw an
introduction to super glue, VTRs, non-stick pans, Lego, Velcro, videotapes and many more.

Quality Street Research:

-John Mackintosh created Quality Street, with his son – Harold – inheriting the business
afterwards.
-1936 saw the first tinned box of chocolates
-The target audience was the poorer people who had not had chocolate due to rations and the
war. Quality Street was made to become more accessible and affordable to everyone
-Miss Sweetly and Major Quality are from the Regency era; a time where Britain was much
happier and in power. Miss Sweetly shows strong feminine colours and her showing of flesh,
while Major Quality is dressed formally and portrayed as brave and noble. He signifies power
in their relationship and importance.