July 1995

Analog Science Fiction and Fact, “Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July 1995,” Drew University Library Special Collections

This advertisement from the July 1995 edition of Analog Science Fiction and Fact is quite a boilerplate when compared to some of the previous decades. One of the ways that the advertisement is quite standard is that it is just advertising standard home items for sale.  Including a popcorn popper, a duster, and a stereo. However, the items are quite kitschy to help target the science fiction crowd. The kitschiness can be shown through the full names of the items which include the “Theatre II Popper”, the “Lambswool Dusters” and the “Micro Stereo-Maximum Sound”. The specificity is hard to ignore with these items and is especially prevalent in their actual descriptions of them. For example, the Lambswool Duster features a slightly dense description of what it is. The description includes not just the specifics of the item, which goes over the extensibility of the duster and how it uses static electricity. But it also uses flowery language to describe the item, saying that the dusters are “imported from England ''.  One of the items that definitely tries to appeal to the sci-fi fan consumer is the stereo that is offered. The stereo includes a description of the stereo that delves hard into its technical aspects of it. It goes into detail about the speaker's functions and how advanced it is. It includes details about how it is not only a stereo but it is also an alarm. The details also include the dimensions of the stereo and how it compares to other stereos of similar quality. The advertiser likely assumed that the readers of this magazine would have an interest in these items, and attempted to use language to appeal to them.