During October 1945, the war was over, but America was hardly back to normal. Japan had formally surrendered less than a month earlier, and millions of Americans were still in uniform. On September 30, the Army alone had 7.56 million men and women in service, including 4.16 million overseas or in route. Demobilization had begun, but the great movement home was only starting. Families were still waiting, occupation forces were moving into Germany and Japan, and the country was only beginning the difficult shift from wartime production to a peacetime economy.
This full-page Pepsodent ad ran on October 7, 1945, less than three months after Willys-Overland introduced the civilian CJ-2A. The ad appeared in newspapers and magazines from coast-to-coast for several weeks. Across the top was the offer: “WIN A JEEP! OR $1,000 CASH.” Pepsodent (tooth powder, not toothpaste) offered twenty postwar Jeeps as grand prizes in a promotion tied to Bob Hope’s weekly radio program, along with $10,000 in smaller cash awards. While it looks like standard contest marketing, it offers an interesting look at how the civilian Jeep was viewed during the transition from wartime production to peacetime sales—and it presents a very different picture from the agricultural focus Willys was pushing at the time
You can read a complete analysis and history of the ad at:
https://www.farmjeep.com/farm-jeep-history/win-a-jeep/
Including why there is a set of golf clubs in the backseat.
This ad is another great example of the treasures to be found at eWillys. Dave posted about this ad back in 2010 and again in 2016.
Special Thanks To Barry Thomas from FarmJeep.com for this great post, Thanks Barry for the information!
Please check out Barry’s Free eBook:
The Farm Jeep Story
How the most famous vehicle of World War II, the Jeep,
became the world’s first Farm Utility Vehicle
A free e-Book you can read online or download to your e-reader.
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