Advertisement, a robust tool to change the world has experienced major milestones.
Modern advertising marks its history back from the 15th to the 16th Century. With the invention of the printing press to the emergence of media tools, advertising has had its place everywhere. To stand out in an increasingly savvy audience, the adaptation of changing mediums has been constant. The competition in the market also gave birth to many advertising and branding agencies in the 20th century.
The Ancient Times
Along with the evolution of humankind, the advertising industry evolved. Back in about 3000BC, the Egyptians used inscriptions and steel carvings as mediums of advertisement. Most of them were to either find dealers and shoemakers or announcing a reward for returning runaway slaves.
Greeks, on the other hand, used announcements through Street colours for the arrival of ships and cargo of wine, metals, and species. Some different techniques were used in Rome. They inscribed a touristic add on a stone wall called Pompeii. They also published laws and edits along with gladiator promotions in Album, an important media body. Libellus was another media that was made which a kind of poster called papyrus for announcing programs position sales and several other things.
People in ancient times also preferred painted announcements. These paintings were a kind of a symbol such as milk stores that were identified by a painting of a goat and a mule and a mule with a mill in its back meant a bakery.
Now it can be clearly said that advertising, a practice or a technique for bringing services, products, or opinions to the audience’s notice to persuade them has been practiced for ages. Three types of advertising work were practiced even before the invention of the printing press which included signs, town criers, and trademarks.
The Middle Age Advertising
Signs were developed for advertising in the middle age due to a large number of illiterate people. A boot, a hat, a horseshoe, a clock, or even a suit were the symbols used for several shops.
The emergence of the printing press brought mass communication in the world. Now the production of printed materials in a mass was possible since books were individually before. A pamphlet was the first ad printed in German in 1552. Later in the year 1622, the first English newspaper was printed by a Londoner and three years later the first ad appeared, and there began the successful career of advertising.
A Step into Technology
The 19th century marked great expansions in businesses to which the advertising industry growth accompanied. With the increasing competition in the market between businesses, advertising agencies marked their establishment. At first, the agencies were brokers for providing business space in newspapers. It was in the early 20th century that these agencies started involving in advertise production that was creative and unique for the growth of their clients. Their work included artwork and copy and by 1920 de started planning as well as executing advertising campaigns from their initial stage to placement in newspapers and other mediums.
As the variety of media increased so did the development of the advertisement. With the introduction of radio and television, came the golden era of advertising. Now the transformation was more into modern with a scientific approach that made advertisements tempting for consumers.
The first radio advertisement is marked in early 1922. As the popularity of radio increased, increased the popularity of audio advertisements. Since the marketers discovered how beneficial newspaper marketing was to them now they were looking for a more popular medium of reaching out to customers. Radio was the answer to their question since they were ready to pay for more popular ads. Gradually variations in radio commercials came which included live reads, jingle ads, personified commercials, and sponsored ads. By 1940 radio advertising became popular in American culture compared to the radio waves in the UK. Britain took more than thirty years to introduce its first radio ad and begin the audio advertising culture in the country.
Now when the creativity in print was already going on, here came more creative audio commercials that had melodious sounds. The advertising agencies were now booming with their creative insights for companies and businesses.
While Britain was struggling for its radio commercials, America came up with its first television ad in the early 1940s. Although television was invented in 1920 it took more than 60 years for it to reach every household. In the late 1980 and early 1990 cable televisions were introduced and several households were now enjoying the new source of entertainment.
Along with the growing advertisement media, also grew advertising and branding agencies. The competition in the market was boosting as different brands producing the same type a product was increasing, for example, a large soft drink making company now had several competitions in different countries. Since the idea of every advertisement had to be unique, the advertising and branding agencies were increasing in number.
1998 became the time when radio and television became the major advertising media. The audios and videos of commercials were so unique then, that even today one can remember the visuals of a particular brand.
The 21st Century Evolution
Digitalisation in the 21st century marked a major turn in the advertising industry. Today millions of websites have been introduced on the World Wide Web expanding the source of advertising. From search engines to social media platforms every website is engaged in advertising. The advertising and branding agencies now have a different domain of online advertising. The world is no online and so is their businesses.
When did Brand Ambassadors come?
As advertising evolved through centuries the role of influencers and brand ambassadors emerged. Brand ambassador term started in the late 19 century when international companies of chocolate, toothpaste, soft drinks, and textile grew in size. Since the cinema was already popular and so were the revolutionaries these companies started sending their products to influencers who had a large number of following and could spread the word. Similarly, through different mediums of advertisement brand ambassadors were used.
