How to reassure scared consumers that they can afford to spend their precious pennies on your crappy product? By relentlessly bombarding them with images of the Great Depression! It sells ads, at least:

I mean, every single ad campaign in America has had some sort of 'Hard Times' theme since the stock market tanked. It's beginning to lose its force. They have to step it up a notch. You are literally living in the Dust Bowl, people! Buy your cleaning supplies or whatever!

The look back at the 1930s is inspired by current financial conditions, which many economists have described as the worst since the Depression. Those comparisons are much on the minds of consumers, according to agency and marketing executives.

What good is shiny fantasy world of advertising if it can't distract us from the bitter reality of a new Depression? Very disappointing. We blame your failed presidency, Dennis Haysbert.
[NYT]