Early Advertising and Technical Writing
A Case Study on How America Learned Technology
The period from 1950 to the 1970s was a crucible of change for both technical communication and advertising. While seemingly operating in different professional spheres one dedicated to the objective clarity of instruction, the other to the subjective art of persuasion the unprecedented explosion of consumer and business technology forced an unacknowledged but deeply significant convergence. The shared challenge of explaining complex innovations to a non-expert public created an indirect alliance, where the principles of technical writing subtly informed advertising strategy, and the persuasive, user-centric focus of advertising prefigured the modern emphasis on user experience (UX) in technical fields.
In the 1950s, technical writing shed its ad-hoc status and emerged as a formal profession. The immense technological output of World War II radar, jet engines, early computers and the subsequent Cold War arms and space races created a critical need for clear, accurate, and usable documentation. Engineers could no longer be the sole authors of manuals for systems of such complexity. This led to the formation of professional bodies, notably the Society of Technical Writers and the Association of Technical Writers and Editors, which merged in 1957 to eventually become the Society for Technical Communication (STC).
Simultaneously, advertising was in its "Golden Age," fueled by economic prosperity and the rise of television. Madison Avenue shifted from simple product announcements to sophisticated psychological and narrative-driven campaigns. A key persuasive tactic that emerged was the appeal to scientific authority and technological wonder. Products were no longer just "good"; they were "scientifically proven," "engineer-tested," and packed with "space-age technology."
Advertisers realized that to sell increasingly complex products like automobiles, televisions, and automated kitchen appliances, they couldn't just rely on emotional appeals. They had to communicate tangible benefits rooted in new features. This created a communication problem that mirrored that of the technical writer: how to explain a technical feature without overwhelming or boring the consumer.
The core philosophy of this new profession was audience analysis and user-centeredness. As scholar Carolyn R. Miller notes, the technical writer’s role was to act as a "translator," mediating between the subject matter expert and the user. The primary goal was to eliminate ambiguity and enable a user to complete a task successfully and safely. The language was precise, the structure was logical, and the focus was on function over form.
Advertisers realized that to sell increasingly complex products like automobiles, televisions, and automated kitchen appliances, they couldn't just rely on emotional appeals. They had to communicate tangible benefits rooted in new features. This created a communication problem that mirrored that of the technical writer: how to explain a technical feature without overwhelming or boring the consumer.
