History Of Advertising
This blog post will provide a brief outline of the history of advertising, including how it's changed over the years.
As you read this article you may be surprised to learn that events like the French Revolution and The Battle of Waterloo have been good for business. We'll also look at how advertising has grown up through different stages. We'll find out what it was like pre-Industrial Revolution and during the Industrial Age, we'll see where it all leads in this new Information Age and what role social media is having in shaping trends today. Finally, we’ll suggest some great resources for aspiring creatives who are looking to make their mark in advertising as well as how some top agencies recruit fresh talent. So, grab a coffee, tuck into your cornflakes and let's get started.
The Birth of Advertising
Advertising can trace its origin back to ancient times; both China and Egypt have known of it. However, the first time advertising became a dominant part of daily life was during the Industrial Revolution.
With the rise of the Factory System, large companies began to spend big money on advertising. William Wilberforce, a British Member of Parliament, complained that he had been "taken off the highway of fortune like a sheep in a fold" and was being "driven into the pulpits and market-places". He went on to introduce an amendment that would ban all forms of advertising. However, he didn't manage to stop all furtive advertising; products like cough lozenges were still advertised in this way.
In 1806 Thomas Crapper invented the flushing toilet and sold his patent rights to water closets for £20,000 (approximately £800k today). Crapper's company, Thomas Crapper & Co, used his name to advertise the product. However, despite being a household name today, in 1836 there was a rumour that he had actually been killed in battle.
Before long advertising became more accepted and as the Industrial Age progressed more and more companies began to use this free form of marketing. For example:
The phrase "Wring Out The Old" did not mean using old clothes to clean but rather using a Union Wringer washer manufactured by the Union Wringer Company of Biddeford, Maine.
Trenton Falls Belle was a Peruvian Hairless Dog also known as a Chinese Crested Dog.
Pillsbury Dough Boy was not the Pillsbury Company's marketing department, rather it was a marketing scheme by that company to try and entice women to bake bread.
Pepsi and Coca Cola were two of the first companies to use product placement in their commercials.
One thing everyone agrees on is that in the 1930s and 1940s radio advertising for consumer products was fairly common. That is until television advertising became available in 1947. Television advertising has taken over from radio as a method of advertisement, even though there has been criticism of both methods.
The invention of colour TV certainly helped colour TV ads, but it wasn't until the late 1950s that people really got used to watching television ads.
In the 1960s and 1970s television advertising boomed with companies pumping more and more money into TV ads than radio ads.
The Golden Age of Advertising
The 1980s saw the rise of the "Big Idea", where one advert was enough to make a company famous. Companies like Apple, Reebok, and Nike pushed boundaries in advertising by creating memorable campaigns that were thought-provoking as well as entertaining.
Advertising has also become a great way for companies to promote themselves online through websites, blogs and/or social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
In the 2010s, advertising is usually available on-air, online and off-air through social media. In other words, most forms of advertising are now accepted as a part of daily life – whether that's a television commercial or an advert with "Like" buttons on it.
The Early 1900s to The 1960s
During the 1930s there was a conflict between the Clerics and the Bosses. The Clerics gave anyone who felt they were out of work the option to go on Social Security instead of joining the National Guard and taking their place in World War II (this was known as being "Doing Your Duty").
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History Of Advertising