Ashley Fetters points out that the real-life history of Madison Avenue doesn’t bode well for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce if the show heads into the ’70s:
In real life, the relationship between the public and the advertising industry hit the skids in the 1970s. Public opinion turned negative toward consumer marketing, and a widespread crackdown on false and misleading ads ensued. …
[I]n 1969, Ralph Nader published his controversial Nader Report on the Federal Trade Commission, a project in which Nader and seven law-student volunteers exposed the general laziness of the FTC in protecting consumers from false advertisements and fraud. Their report condemned suggestive ads, deceptive or false claims in TV commercials and print ads, and the diversion of attention away from unappealing information (such as the unpleasant side effects of a drug, or the health risks of cigarettes). In order to ensure that consumer deception was exposed, disciplined, and fixed, Nader and his team of “Nader’s Raiders” called for “alert and extensive monitoring operations with pre-screening by expert engineers, doctors, and professionals.”
The Dish 