The history of advertising goes back to ancient civilizations. Advertising acquired a crucial role in economies in the mid 19th century. In the 20th century, advertising grew at a rapid rate with the introduction of new technologies.
Papyrus was used by people of Egypt to make sales messages and posters. Lost and Found advertising was a common sight in ancient Greece and Rome. Wall Advertising is another type of ancient advertising which is prevalent even today in many parts of the world. ORAL was the most popular advertising method in ancient China which involved the use of bamboo flutes to sell candy. In Europe, sellers used street callers to promote fruits and vegetables. The street callers loudly announced the products and the location of the seller for the convenience of the customers. Sign boards and Trademarks were some other popular advertising tools apart from street callers in ancient Europe.
Newspapers and Magazines were introduced in the market in the 16th century. The first weekly journals originated in Venice in the early 16th century. Then it further spread to Italy, German and Holland. In those times, the advertisements in newspapers were mainly for books and medicines. However after 1650, the variety of products being advertised had increased remarkably. During the 18th century, trade cards gained a lot of popularity. Trade cards refer to the rectangular or square cards that a business gives to clients and potential customers. In the present time, trade cards have evolved into Business cards and are still popular.
In the middle of the 19th century, newspapers started to focus on paid advertising to lower their price, extend readership and boost profitability. False advertising also became common during this period. Advertisements started promoting variety of products and this led to increase in demand in the market. The latest fashions also started appearing in the advertisements. Repeated advertisements allowed manufacturers to develop nationally known brands.
The first radio stations were established in the early 1920s. The main source of funding for most stations was Advertising. The Great Depression during the 1930s led to the reduction in the number of advertisements as businesses incurred huge losses and could not afford advertising. Television arrived in the 1950s and it proved to be a major breakthrough in the field of advertising. With the introduction of automobiles, travelling became common and tourism industry invested huge funds in advertising. After some decades, cable televisions became popular during the 1980s and 1990s.
In the beginning of the 21st century, number of websites especially search engines like Google redefined advertising. The focus shifted to relevant based ads based on customer's browsing interests. Digital advertising started dominating the market and also proved to be cost effective as compared to traditional advertising. Although traditional advertising has still not lost its relevance in the 21st century, but the companies aiming for expansion and a wide audience are preferring digital advertising. Tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft have redefined the digital marketing.
It can be concluded from this blog that advertising is not a new phenomenon in our world. It has been there since ancient times. It is quite evident that importance of advertising has grown with every passing generation and it would not be wrong to say that it will continue to grow in the upcoming years as well. The field of advertising is very dynamic. Hence, it is bound to experience changes with time. In the future, there will be new advertising means that will emerge and again change the whole scenario. Therefore, continuous scanning of the business environment is very important.
PRE-MODERN HISTORY
Papyrus was used by people of Egypt to make sales messages and posters. Lost and Found advertising was a common sight in ancient Greece and Rome. Wall Advertising is another type of ancient advertising which is prevalent even today in many parts of the world. ORAL was the most popular advertising method in ancient China which involved the use of bamboo flutes to sell candy. In Europe, sellers used street callers to promote fruits and vegetables. The street callers loudly announced the products and the location of the seller for the convenience of the customers. Sign boards and Trademarks were some other popular advertising tools apart from street callers in ancient Europe.
16th-18th Century
Newspapers and Magazines were introduced in the market in the 16th century. The first weekly journals originated in Venice in the early 16th century. Then it further spread to Italy, German and Holland. In those times, the advertisements in newspapers were mainly for books and medicines. However after 1650, the variety of products being advertised had increased remarkably. During the 18th century, trade cards gained a lot of popularity. Trade cards refer to the rectangular or square cards that a business gives to clients and potential customers. In the present time, trade cards have evolved into Business cards and are still popular.
19th Century
In the middle of the 19th century, newspapers started to focus on paid advertising to lower their price, extend readership and boost profitability. False advertising also became common during this period. Advertisements started promoting variety of products and this led to increase in demand in the market. The latest fashions also started appearing in the advertisements. Repeated advertisements allowed manufacturers to develop nationally known brands.
20th Century
The first radio stations were established in the early 1920s. The main source of funding for most stations was Advertising. The Great Depression during the 1930s led to the reduction in the number of advertisements as businesses incurred huge losses and could not afford advertising. Television arrived in the 1950s and it proved to be a major breakthrough in the field of advertising. With the introduction of automobiles, travelling became common and tourism industry invested huge funds in advertising. After some decades, cable televisions became popular during the 1980s and 1990s.
21st Century
In the beginning of the 21st century, number of websites especially search engines like Google redefined advertising. The focus shifted to relevant based ads based on customer's browsing interests. Digital advertising started dominating the market and also proved to be cost effective as compared to traditional advertising. Although traditional advertising has still not lost its relevance in the 21st century, but the companies aiming for expansion and a wide audience are preferring digital advertising. Tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft have redefined the digital marketing.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded from this blog that advertising is not a new phenomenon in our world. It has been there since ancient times. It is quite evident that importance of advertising has grown with every passing generation and it would not be wrong to say that it will continue to grow in the upcoming years as well. The field of advertising is very dynamic. Hence, it is bound to experience changes with time. In the future, there will be new advertising means that will emerge and again change the whole scenario. Therefore, continuous scanning of the business environment is very important.
