https://instagr.am/p/23g09XPA5g

cecil, I am interested to hear why you so strongly disliked the penultimate episode.

I know you olds probably heard and loved this song back in the day after the Coke ad, but here is a much longer single released by the band and people that sang the Coke ad song: I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. It doesn't have any Coke mentions, but its quite catchy.

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I know you olds probably heard and loved this song back in the day after the Coke ad, but here is a much longer single released by the band and people that sang the Coke ad song: I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. It doesn't have any Coke mentions, but its quite catchy.

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I'm an old and it was the same tune, slightly different words. Was written and performed based on the coke song, but dropping Coke references. I still hear it on SiriusXM 70s channel now and then. New Seekers was the group.

Are we supposed to view this Coke ad historically as a big example of how the 60s counter culture Movement was finally fully embraced by mainstream culture? And so then you have evil corporate behemoths McCann Erickson and Coca Cola capitalizing on the Movement as well? It seems so cynical to see Don (and Peggy) happily moving forward as a cog in the McCann machine after fighting against it all those years. I never saw it coming - I said there's no way in hell Don ends up at McCann.

No, I think you just view it in the sense of it being one of the most iconic advertisements in history, among an extremely short list of advertisements that a major part of the adult population could recall immediately if you ask them if they remember that ad. And that's it. No hidden counter-culture, free spirit, fight-the-power meanings as it pertains to the show.

I remember this ad very well, but I also remember others that stuck in my head to due shear genius or catchy-ness. This was a good ad and remember-able, but hardly the best ad ever.

Plop plop fizz fizz - alka selter animation guy
Dancing Fig Newton
Wendy's Where's the Beef (one of my personal favs)
Calgon - take me away, ancient Chinese secret
Chiffon margarine - it's not nice to fool mother nature
crying Indian litter ad
Dr. Pepper - I'm a pepper dancing song ad
Coke - Mean Joe Green ad - thanks Joe!
Life Cereal - He likes it, hey Mikey!
Bud Light - Spuds Mackenzie
Jack in the Box exploding clown
Budweiser Clydesdale ads
Charmin - Mr. Whipple - don't squeeze the Charmin
Madge - Palmolive

and many more...

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Plop plop fizz fizz - alka selter animation guy

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Genius marketing because it convinced everyone to use two Alka Seltzer tablets when you really only needed one.
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/alka-seltzer.asp

The Don arc in that episode was just a big, fat, nothing to me. Yes I got the symbolism if him saving himself (well the next him) from a similar path. Other than that, it was (for me) a story about nothing going nowhere. Like I mentioned, having gone through the end, it looks more to me like just a set up for the ending. Almost purposely a crappy, nothing story for Don, just to make the ending that much more impactful. During the finale I was tempted to fast forward through all the Don parts, just to see where the heck they were going with it, because it wasn't any fun watching it.

Annie, I've always assumed 88 was your class year. Were you old enough to really experience that Coke ad? Of the ones you mentioned only (maybe) plop, plop fizz fizz and the Indian tear were as impactful I think. Some of those others were certainly memorable, but "Coke. It's the real thing." supersedes them all I think.

That commercial played into the late 70s.

I remember it and I am 43. 88 would be 48 or 49 and certainlu old enough to remember 71.

Sure, but memories from five years of age is different from 15 or 25 or older. And of course playing for a decade is a pretty good indication of how big it was.

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Annie, I've always assumed 88 was your class year. Were you old enough to really experience that Coke ad? Of the ones you mentioned only (maybe) plop, plop fizz fizz and the Indian tear were as impactful I think. Some of those others were certainly memorable, but "Coke. It's the real thing." supersedes them all I think.

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It is. I'm almost 49 and I was about 5 when it came out so I do remember it, but probably because it played for a long time too. I've always loved music and such as well and picked up on music a lot back then. I loved the radio and records, and am actually a huge 70s music buff too as that was my decade from 4 to 14. I also remember the modified song as well and even think I had a 45 of it.

I can remember seeing all the people on tv, I remember seeing the Indian ad as well.

I also remember Watergate, Vietnam, Patty Hurst on tv as well and I was very young, about this same time. some things just stick with you.

I can still sing the entire Fig Newton and Plop Plop songs. I've always picked up music very well and fast.

My first major memory ever was of the moon landing on tv in 1969. I was three. Probably watching footage the next day of it since I remember it in daylight and I believe it was actually at night.

I remember being in our den in our south carolina house, the tv was on the wall under a window and the light was coming in the window. There was also a light source from the left and it was the sliding door to the backyard. My mom was bent down behind me pointing at the tv. i don't remember her words, but I'm sure it was something like "see, they went to the moon" etc.

I've confirmed the setting with my mom and she said I was spot on. We moved from there the next year and I have very limited memories of the house.

That is a definite snapshot memory to me and clear as day. It's kind like that with these commercials. I was a very observant kid.

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Annie, I've always assumed 88 was your class year. Were you old enough to really experience that Coke ad? Of the ones you mentioned only (maybe) plop, plop fizz fizz and the Indian tear were as impactful I think. Some of those others were certainly memorable, but "Coke. It's the real thing." supersedes them all I think.

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It is. I'm almost 49 and I was about 5 when it came out so I do remember it, but probably because it played for a long time too. I've always loved music and such as well and picked up on music a lot back then. I loved the radio and records, and am actually a huge 70s music buff too as that was my decade from 4 to 14. I also remember the modified song as well and even think I had a 45 of it.

I can remember seeing all the people on tv, I remember seeing the Indian ad as well.

I also remember Watergate, Vietnam, Patty Hurst on tv as well and I was very young, about this same time. some things just stick with you.

I can still sing the entire Fig Newton and Plop Plop songs. I've always picked up music very well and fast.

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i'm '88 also ('89 technically)...and i remember it too...i was also 5 when it came out...but it persisted for a long time and was re-used on coke ads for years with other variations or just the jingle/catch phrase part....the song itself had some popularity as a single.

in the mid 70s there was a christmas version that was made that ran for several years in the holidays - people formed a xmas tree shape


and there was a disney version too with mickey and friends sometime later - here found it


and here was a live TV performance without coke references:

yep - I remember lying on the shag carpeting watching Armstrong step on the moon. Absolutely pivotal moment in history. And the Coke ad was a pivotal moment in advertising. Buy a Coke and support Peace & Love - but somehow it didn't look cynical and it actually worked.

Obviously the biggest factors back then were the limited amount of channels in the 70's, before they continued to expand in the 80's and blow up in the 90's. That really changed the game of the iconic advertisement that everyone would see.

Being born in 1987, the only ad I remember, and 100% remember back to when I was a child, is the Corona Feliz Navidad christmas light palm tree ad. And the only reason I remember it is because we'd tape christmas specials that would come on, so we could re-watch them during the holiday season as kids, so we would always see that commercial. I remember it from a very young age.

Which is why I still love it today when it continues to play.

Mad Men hit 3.3MM for its finale, the best over it's 7 year run.

Kind of surprised this show never really caught on and it might make for an interesting case study some day. Other recent notable finales:

• Breaking Bad - 10.3MM
• The Sopranos - 11.9MM
• The Walking Dead (still in production) - 15.8MM
• Better Call Saul (still in production) - 5.1MM
• Game of Thrones Season 4 Finale (still in production) - 7.1MM
• 24 - 9.31MM (note: 24: Live Another Day concluded with 6.33MM)
• The Shield - 1.8MM
• Sons of Anarchy - 9.2MM
• LOST - 13.5MM
• Seinfeld - 76.3MM
• Cheers - 93.5MM
• MASH - 125MM

different eras. now there aren't only 3 options, or 5 options, or 12 options, or 30 options, or 300 options...there's also internet and streaming.

Numbers will never look the same again. Hell, it would take an era-defining network drama to surpass the LOST finale, IMO. Something that is just earth-shatteringly good, that crosses multiple genres.

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different eras. now there aren't only 3 options, or 5 options, or 12 options, or 30 options, or 300 options...there's also internet and streaming.

Numbers will never look the same again. Hell, it would take an era-defining network drama to surpass the LOST finale, IMO. Something that is just earth-shatteringly good, that crosses multiple genres.

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It doesn't surprise you that Sons of Anarchy, which ended this past December, had triple the viewership of Mad Men?

I'm surprised it's that much lower than other dramas, but Mad Men was always a niche show with little to offer younger audiences.

And it was more demanding of its audience - if you missed an episode or two you felt lost by the time jumps. I'm sure a lot of people plan on watching the full series at some point, but it was harder to just pick up wherever like you could with SoA or even Breaking Bad to some extent.

I find it fascinating, quite frankly. All the "important" types were working hard to convince the world about the importance of Mad Men. It has been a style/culture touchstone for the better part of a decade. And pretty much everyone in the industry has written a missive in the past 48 hours about the series and the finale.

Now, I happen to agree with them. It does surprise me, though, that all this promotion only made the show slightly more popular than Justified, which finished with 2.24MM viewers.

And on this thread, it's mentioned as a Mount Rushmore show, or the end of the Golden Age of modern television, often times right alongside Breaking Bad. However, Breaking Bad more than tripled Mad Men's viewership.

For the record, I count Mad Men among my favorite 1 hour dramas and have been watching happily and dutifully since 2007. And before anyone misconstrues my statement, I also loved Justified. I even watch Sons of Anarchy pretty regularly.

Was Mad Men still the highest rated show amongst high income people? Or did Downton Abbey surpass it lol.

In hindsight Mad Men should have ended after season 5. That would have been an excellent series finale. Season 6 was by far the worst season and the ratings peaked in season 5.

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And on this thread, it's mentioned as a Mount Rushmore show, or the end of the Golden Age of modern television, often times right alongside Breaking Bad. However, Breaking Bad more than tripled Mad Men's viewership.

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Breaking Bad was about drugs, cartels vs DEA agents, and had people dying regularly due to criminal activity. These are topics that people will always be drawn to. Especially middle-class whites who are far removed from that world, but totally fascinated by it. Same reason Treme cant live up to The Wire.

Breaking Bad had all that, and just so happened to be really, really good as well.

SP beat me to it. Doesn't surprise me at all. Action, outlaws, cussing and all that **** is eaten up by the masses, but that doesn't make it a true critically acclaimed rock star.

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And on this thread, it's mentioned as a Mount Rushmore show, or the end of the Golden Age of modern television, often times right alongside Breaking Bad. However, Breaking Bad more than tripled Mad Men's viewership.

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The Mount Rushmore thing has absolutely nothing to do with viewership. It's about quality.

If we're talking under appreciated shows, "Jericho" has got to be on the list.

The good news is, whether you think the ending is genius or not, the rest of the show is still very "rewatchable". Watched a random one on Netflix. The show just has a vibe to it.

Totally agree. I love choosing an episode I haven't seen in awhile and just jumping back into the story.

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And on this thread, it's mentioned as a Mount Rushmore show, or the end of the Golden Age of modern television, often times right alongside Breaking Bad. However, Breaking Bad more than tripled Mad Men's viewership.

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The Mount Rushmore thing has absolutely nothing to do with viewership. It's about quality.

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Obviously. I was only pointing out that unlike other modern shows on the podium that enjoyed viewership, Mad Men seems to be the exception.

Interestingly, The Wire, which focused on drugs and violence and all the salacious bits that drive viewership, had less than a million people tune in for the finale.

No accounting for taste and all that.

Gotta agree. One of the few dramas I will watch again and again.

When lost was done I knew I would never watch it again.

Sopranos I do watch over And over and enjoy almost any episode.

Breaking bad. Well I can watch it again but it was such a experience and just building on one primary story line that it's hard to enjoy one off episodes out of context. But I could easily watch it again as a series. In fact I did rewatch most of it when my sister got into it before the last few episodes.

The wire also was quite an experience but there was enough different plots and the seasons were unique unto themselves almost. So I've tuned into those at times.

Game of thrones I also enjoy watching almost any time.

Mad men will always be watchable to me. Just then period piece nature of it and the characters makes it always intriguing. Lots of subtle stuff too that you catch watching again.

That's about it. I dont know of any other dramas I watch repeatedly. Maybe magnum PI from back in the day. Usually fun and stand alone episodes mostly.

I'll never rewatch these
House of cards
Homeland
Downtown abbey
Orphan black

The Americans I'm not sure about yet. Gonna depend where it goes and how it ends.

I think the majority of people just want to turn their mind off when they watch tv. Thus you get all the CSI shows and singing shows.
Clearly we want more out of the experience.