The agency produces advertising campaigns for various products. The plot begins with Draper joining the ad company Sterling and Cooper. A few years after Draper joins, a British company tries to acquire
Sterling and Cooper. Don, Roger, and Bertram respond by resigning their positions and founding a new ad agency. The show chronicles the three men as they take on new talent and work to grow their firm.
Why is Mad Men so popular? One reason is that the show portrays a lifestyle that many viewers aspire to experience. Many people, perhaps, enjoy the show vicariously. The work that the Mad Men do for their ad agency is appealing, for the advertising campaigns that they design influence the public’s choices, giving the men at the firm a great deal of power. The characters depicted by the show also have access to a slew of luxuries: city life, vacations, and access to influential social circles. Most importantly, their life style gives the ad men the sense that they are in control of their lives.
The show’s popularity is no doubt also due to its cinematography. The dialogue, as well as the set designs and wardrobe choices, emphasize the opulent lifestyle of the characters. There is also a sense in which the sets are simply attractive to look at: they are filled with items like phones, file folders, and decorations that resemble a stereotype of the picturesque early 60s. The shots, moreover, are filmed in either warm or neutral tones, which helps to make the characters seem authentic and likeable.
The show is entertaining to watch, and details like the introspection of Don Draper’s character are beautifully depicted. Mad Men brings the viewer to a different