Tag! You’re It, Go Travel!

August 29, 2014

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Before the mass-media age exploded in the late 1950s, advertising was much more limited in its reach. Tourism destinations relied mostly on magazines and radio. But even then, smaller resorts and hotels were limited in their budgets and reach. Hence they couldn’t easily reach those who might be inclined to travel.

And that’s where luggage labels and tags emerged. It was a cheap easy form of advertising and had much less to do with ensuring your bags arrived safely and a lot more to do with promoting your hotel, resort, or beach to other like-minded travelers. Probably the coolest thing about them now is how quaint and charming they look in an age where getting almost anywhere is a matter of hours. But once a upon a time, this was “guerrilla” advertising and the graphics and images were cutting edge designs. Perhaps that’s why they’re still so cool.