Discover the fascinating history of advertising and how it has evolved over time. Learn about the ancient beginnings.Advertising is as old as civilization itself At present, we are living in the Electronic age To know how advertising has filtered into this stage, it is necessary to review the historical perspective of advertising.
Origin of Advertising
The History of advertising .. we can divide this into six periods:
- Pre-printing period
- Early-printing period.
- Period of Expansion
- Period of consolidation
- Advertising Agents period
- Present period/Electronic Age
Let us examine the different periods of advertising in more details:-
Pre-Printing Period
In the ruins of ancient Egypt, explorers have found papyrus posters offering rewards for, the return of runway salves. In the ruin’s of the Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologist have discovered political advertisements painted on walls along streets bearing such entreaties as, “vote for Cicero, the friend of the people. “However. until the advent of mass selling in the 19lh century, advertising played only a minor role in the conducting of business.
Early-Printing Period
In early Greek and Roman days, signboards were placed above the doors of business establishments, and Town criers proclaimed that merchants had certain wares for sale. These were merely means to attract customers to a shop.
Period of Expansion
After the invention of moveable type accelerated printing in the mid 18lh century, handbills, posters and then newspapers were used in increasing quantities to advertise products; Advertisements appeared in early American newspapers, but the volume did not grow to sizeable proportions until trade began of flourish in the metropolitan centres in the early days of the republic The first printed advertisement appeared in Boston Magazine in 1690 In those days there were only Art and Make up advertising.
Period of Consolidation
When the development of railroad transportation enables industry to send its products to consumers who lived far from the manufacturing plants, national advertising resulted as business people used both magazines and newspapers to broaden their markets. An appropriate language, and modern techniques of attractive displayed began to be used.
Advertising Agents Period
Now advertising reached its peak, and affected human life directly and indirectly. The advertising agencies came into begin. The first advertising agency in U.S.A, was organized by Volney B Palmer circa 1840. After sometime, other agencies were started along professional lines for providing planning and space buying services to their clients.
ElectronicAge
As newspaper and magazine circulations increased and new technological advances were made at the turn of the new century, advertising developed new slogans, better copywriters and artists and improved methods of analyzing products, media and markets.
The advent of the radio brought about steady improvement ‘in the techniques of advertisement, such as copytesting, the study of psychological appeals, and plans for integrated campaigns. Advertisers increasingly used research methods, such as readership studies and audience measurement.
Now the advertising industry is serving to cope with a number of changes taking place in the field Advertisers on T V of the cable and the number of independent stations that,’ coupled with the heavy use of video cassette recorders, have splintered the audience for conventional T V programming and advertising.
Many companies have set up own agencies primarily to plan and buy the placement of their advertising.
Advertising is so much a part of our lives and we have some complaints, such as advertising persuades us to buy goods and services we cannot afford. Advertising appeals primarily to our emotions, rather than to our intellect. Advertising is often biased. Advertising involves conflicting competitive claims. Advertising is unduly repetitious. And much advertising is vulgar, obtrusive and irritating.