The three main national companies that advertised in the Griffin during the war years were Chesterfield cigarettes, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola as well as the various branches of the armed services. There is a progression in the content of these advertisements from an emphasis on the collegiate experience to a more war related content.
The Chesterfield cigarette ads have a clear military appeal throughout the war years whereas Pepsi-Cola's ads were slanted more to the college student experience in 1942. Pepsi Cola's last advertisement in The Griffin appeared in May, 1942. Coca-Cola ads did not begin to appear in The Griffin until September 1942. These ads were typical of ads found in the popular press of the day until 1943. It is in the April 16, 1943 edition of the Griffin that the content of the Coke ads were more war-related.
The links below will take you to a representative sampling of these ads as found in the 1942 student newspaper at Canisius College.
3/20/42:A Chesterfield cigarette ad. Note the appeal to service men and women. |
5/15/42:Last Pepsi-Cola ad in the 1942 Griffin. |
 10/23/42:Example of general appeal of Coca-Cola ad |
 4/16/43:Coca-Cola ad with war related content |
3/15/42:Ad for the Army Air Force urging students to start officer training. |