Playing Cards for Consumer Advertising, Marketing & Promotion
Closely following the development of visual advertising in general, such as on labels, packaging, posters and TV commercials, advertising playing cards seek to find ways to associate products with our inner desires and longings, with our identity and who we want to be. Some packs are widely distributed as part of larger promotions, others are more exclusive. In some cases single cards are collected from inside the advertised product, thereby stimulating further sales to complete a full set.
Vac-tric Electric Vacuum Cleaners
Vac-tric Electric Vacuum Cleaner playing cards manufactured by De la Rue, 1930s.
VELCAP, c.1960-65
Advertising pack for Lutz Ferrando y Cía Opticians, c.1960.
Velux
Velux - la fenêtre de toit de qualité, c.1990.
Velux International
Publicity pack for the Danish company, Velux, manufacturers of roof windows and skylights.
Virginia Slims
Tasteful advertising pack promoting Virginia Slims cigarettes.
Volvo playing cards
Celebrating 50 years of innovation in Volvo car design.
VR-VISA
VR-VISA playing cards published by VR Group, the state-owned railway company in Finland.
Waddington’s 1933 Trade Brochure
Waddington’s 1933 Trade Brochure.
Walkers Shortbread
Advertising Deck for Walkers Shortbread, c.1998.
Washington Wine
Washington Wine illustrated playing cards, USA, 2004.
Welsh Brewery Playing Cards
Welsh Brewery Playing Cards
Werbung die Sticht
“Werbung die Sticht” deck with artwork by Fritz Bünzli to promote advertising on playing cards by AG Müller 1982.
What can we learn from mini-booklet advertisements?
Over the years I have collected a large number of mini-booklets and pocket guides offering rules and play guidance on a wide variety of games.
Whyte & Mackay Lucky Lions
Whyte & Mackay Lucky Lions playing cards, United Kingdom, 2017
Wiggins Teape “Hi-Speed” playing cards
Wiggins Teape “Hi-Speed” playing cards manufactured by Waddingtons, c.1970.
Wills’s Happy Families game
Wills’s “Happy Families” cards were issued by the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland) Limited in around 1930.
Wine Labels & Chocolate Biscuits
‘Pinta en Copas’ playing card-themed wine labels sold at Día Supermarkets.
Wolfgang Dorn Werbe
Designs by Jürgen Pankarz for the 20th anniversary of the Wolfgang Dorn advertising agency, Cologne.
Yowie
Yowie Game Cards, a promotional item supplied by Cadbury Ltd and published by Kidcorp, c.1999.
Zole
Alfreds Scwedrevitz playing card designs used to advertise Zole Vodka but which were never published.