Echoes of the past travels back to the 1960s this week with a look at the August 1964 issue of Optician’s sister title, Manufacturing Optician. Topical events that August included the premiere of Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, which went on to win five of the 13 categories it was nominated for at the Academy Awards in 1965.
Today, fashion and eyewear are very much intertwined, but in the 1960s, this wasn’t the case and frames needed something of a PR offensive in an attempt to alter the public’s perception. This PR drive was delivered by the Optical Information Council (OIC), whose successes at the time were outlined in the magazine.
A two-page colour spread in Woman’s Mirror which showed models wearing glasses was a particular highlight for the OIC. ‘Features such as this have a big impact. This particular spread will have been seen by a million women, probably more, and must have left upon many a clear impression that the present-day, style-conscious young business woman can wear glasses without any sacrifice of personal attractiveness,’ said the article. Volume of PR in newspapers and magazines was also said to be have been much higher, going some way to diminishing old prejudices against glasses.
Brochure publication, with consumer-focused content, was another successful venture for the OIC, with some 500,000 copies distributed to practices for their patients. The organisation also featured on three regional television programmes, with John Stallwood speaking on its behalf.
The good work of the OIC at the time went beyond UK shores, as it was reported that a number of overseas groups and individuals had contacted the organisation to enquire about its work.