ABSTRACT
In January 1940 Advertising Age wrote that the consumer movement had, over the previous decade, “developed from a slightly annoying but very tiny blot on the horizon to full stature as the symbol of the major problem facing business-and particularly advertising-as they enter the fifth decade of the 20th century.” The trade paper listed 23 groups it regarded as most active in the consumer movement, adding that despite increased levels of protest, the effort still lacked the necessary focus and critical mass in public opinion to qualify as a legitimate movement.
