A History of Advertising

joshua earle

Evidence of advertising has been found dating as far back as 3000 B.C.E. in Egypt, where papyrus was used to create sales messages. In Pompeii, evidence has also been uncovered of early forms of advertising. Some of the walls within the streets were covered with persuasive words and detailed illustrations encouraging people to go into nearby eating and drinking establishments. This is the earliest example of billboard advertising in history. However, in recent history, more modern forms of advertising have been created to encourage consumers to purchase products and services. Advertising is now so prevalent in the society that forecast data indicates that total ad spending worldwide will reach $691 billion by the end of 2023.

Print Advertising

The invention of the printing press was one of the greatest advances in advertising history. The printing press was invented in the 15th century and allowed for mass quantities of written material to be produced much more quickly and easily than in the past. This invention paved the way for newspapers to become widely circulated in the 16th and 17th century. The first advertisement in an American newspaper appeared in the Boston News-Letter in 1704. Advertising became a huge force in capitalist economies in the mid-19th century, with newspapers being the primary advertising medium. Between 1880 and 1920, ad spending in the United States grew from about $200 million to $3 billion.

Since the introduction of radio, TV, and the Internet, print advertising is no longer the main form of advertising. But while the circulation of newspapers and magazines has declined as people move to digital spaces, print advertising still generates lots of revenue from consumers. Print and direct mail marketing bring a 9% customer response rate, while the response rate for digital marketing hovers around 1% or less.

TV Advertising

Television advertising started very simply in the 1940s. The first television ad was shown on NBC in July 1941 and promoted Bulova, a watch manufacturing company. The ad was only ten seconds long and showed a clock superimposed over an American map, with the voiceover stating, "America runs on Bulova time." This ad was only watched by a few thousand people; at that point, only 4,000 TV sets had been installed in the New York viewing area.

As TV technology evolved, the advent of color TV and the growth of new TV channels led to a boom in televised advertising. Through the mid to late 20th century, advertisers began using mascots in their ads to draw attention to their products. Tony the Tiger became one of the most popular advertising mascots, increasing sales of Frosted Flakes cereal.

In 2017, spending on TV ads declined for the first time as more Americans moved away from watching live television and toward streaming platforms such as Netflix. It's estimated that almost 150 million Americans watch Netflix at least once a month. However, despite this decline, the power of TV advertisements can still be demonstrated by the huge figures advertisers pay for slots during the Super Bowl, which draws around 100 million viewers each year. In 2018, Amazon set a record by spending $14.9 million on a 90-second slot to advertise the Amazon Echo.

Digital Advertising

Online advertising grew up alongside the Internet beginning in the 1990s. The first online banner ad appeared on Hotwired.com in 1994, making the start of digital advertising. Within a decade, social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Myspace had emerged, and as Internet users moved onto these sites, so did advertisers. Brands started to create their own social media profiles and grow their e-commerce presence. Currently, more than 90% of marketing executives use social media as part of their marketing strategy. In 2020, advertisers spent $365 billion on digital ads, demonstrating how big this medium has become.

Browse by Category
Featured Products
Top Sellers