, marketing strategy | 1 Reply Crazy or Creative? Posted on April 10, 2012 by australiandirectmarketingassociation Reply By Ginger Conlon, Editorial Director, 1to1 Media Remember the automat ? Walls of vending machines stocked with sandwiches, snacks, and drinks; cafeteria-style dining. Popular in the early 1900s, they began to fade in the 1950s.