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Advertising History
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Benjamin Day
Benjamin Day publishes the Sun, the first successful "penny newspaper" in New York. By 1837, circulation reaches 30,000, making it the world's largest newspaper. -
Volney Palmer
Volney Palmer opens the first advertising agency in Philadelphia. -
Carlton & Smith
New York agency Carlton & Smith begins buying the right to place advertising in religious magazines. -
Francis Wayland
With $250, Francis Wayland Ayer opens N.W. Ayer & Son (named after his father) in Philadelphia and implements the first commission system based on "open contracts." -
Convention of Advertising Agents
The first convention of advertising agents is held in New York. -
James Walter Thompson
James Walter Thompson buys Carlton & Smith from William J. Carlton, paying $500 for the business and $800 for the office furniture. He renames it after himself and moves into general magazine advertising. Later, he invents the position of account executive. -
John Wanamaker & John E. Powers
Department store founder John Wanamaker is the first retailer to hire a full-time advertising copywriter, John E. Powers. -
Proctor & Gamble
Procter & Gamble Co. begins advertising Ivory soap with an unprecedented budget of $11,000. -
Cyrus H.K. Curtis & Wife
Cyrus H.K. Curtis launches Ladies' Home Journal with his wife, Louisa Knapp Curtis, as editor. -
N.W. Ayer
N.W. Ayer promotes advertising with the slogan "Keeping everlastingly at it brings success." -
N.W. Ayer
N.W. Ayer promotes advertising with the slogan "Keeping everlastingly at it brings success." -
A.N.P.A.
The American Newspaper Publishers Association is formed. -
Patient-medicine Advertising = Banned!
Ladies' Home Journal bans patent-medicine advertising. -
Coca-Cola
Asa Briggs Chandler registers Coca-Cola as a trademark. -
Munsey's Magazine
Frank Munsey drops the price of Munsey's Magazine to 10� and the cost of subscriptions to $1, marking the first attempt at keeping a magazine afloat by advertising revenue rather than newsstand sales. -
"Little Schoolmaster"
George P. Rowell of Boston founds Printer's Ink, a magazine that serves as the "little schoolmaster in the art of advertising." -
Uneeda Buscuit
N.W. Ayer helps National Biscuit Co. launch the first prepackaged biscuit, Uneeda, with the slogan "Lest you forget, we say it yet, Uneeda Biscuit." Eventually, the company launches the first million-dollar advertising campaign for Uneeda. -
ANA Formed
The Association of American Advertisers, predecessor to the Association of National Advertisers, is formed. -
N.W. Ayer
N.W. Ayer establishes a Business-Getting Department to plan advertising campaigns based on prospective advertisers' marketing needs. -
TAACA
The Associated Advertising Clubs of America, a group of agencies, advertisers and media representatives, is formed. -
Corn Flakes
W.K. Kellogg places his first ads for Corn Flakes in six midwestern newspapers. -
ANYA
A group of large agencies forms the Association of New York Agents, predecessor to the American Association of Advertising Agencies. -
Woodbury Soap
Woodbury Soap breaks its "The skin you love to touch" campaign in the Ladies' Home Journal, marking the first time sex appeal is used in advertising. -
The Federal Trade Commision Act
The Federal Trade Commission Act is passed, and Joseph E. Davies is named the first FTC chairman. Section 5 allows it to issue cease-and-desist orders against dishonest advertising. -
NOAB
A group of agencies forms the National Outdoor Advertising Bureau, which eventually controls about three-quarters of the outdoor national advertising in America. -
AAAA
The American Association of Advertising Agencies, the first agency trade association, is established with 111 charter-member agencies. -
The Queensboro Corp.
The Queensboro Corp. a Long Island real estate firm, buys the first commercials in advertising history -
National Carbon Co.
National Carbon Co.'s "Eveready Hour" is the first regular series of broadcast entertainment and music to be sponsored by an advertiser. -
Goodrich
Goodrich Tires sponsors the first hourlong show over a network of nine radio stations. -
Lintas
Lintas (Lever International Advertising Services) is formed as a house agency for Unilever in England, Holland and Germany. -
Stock Market Crash
Following the stock market crash, advertising spending plummets. -
American Tobacco Co.
American Tobacco Co. spends $12.3 million to advertise Lucky Strikes, the most any company has ever spent on single-product advertising. -
Chicago
Age is launched in Chicago. -
Life
Life publishes its first edition. It later becomes the first magazine to carry $100 million annually in advertising. -
Radio Advertising Begins
Radio surpasses magazines as a source of advertising revenue. -
The War Advertising Council
The War Advertising Council is organized to help prepare voluntary advertising campaigns for wartime efforts. -
ARF
The Advertising Research Foundation endorses A.C. Nielsen's machine-based ratings system for TV. -
The Advertising Research Foundation
The Advertising Research Foundation endorses A.C. Nielsen's machine-based ratings system for TV. -
CBS
CBS becomes the largest advertising medium in the world -
"The Hidden Persuaders"
Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders," a potent attack on advertising, is published. -
"Confessions of an Advertising Man"
David Ogilvy publishes "Confessions of an Advertising Man." -
"The Pepsi Generation"
"The Pepsi Generation" kicks off the cola wars. -
NBC
NBC drops its ban on comparative advertising. -
Ted Bates'
Ted Bates' first creative chief and promoter of advertising offers a "unique selling proposition," resigns at age 55. -
The Four A's...
The Four A's, ANA and American Advertising Federation launch the National Advertising Review Board to monitor questions of taste and social responsibility in advertising. -
Advertising of Cigarettes
Congress prohibits broadcast advertising of cigarettes. -
Advdertising First Amendment..
The Supreme Court grants advertising First Amendment protection. -
FTC's
Congress removes the FTC's power to stop "unfair" advertising. -
Needham Harper Worldwide
Needham Harper Worldwide, BBDO International and Doyle Dane Bernbach merge to create Omnicom Group, the largest advertising company in the world. -
Online Advertising
online advertising opens new doors -
Metro Int'l
Metro Int’l., a Swedish firm, pioneered free daily newspapers supported by advertising. -
David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy (88), British-born American advertising executive, died in Bonnes, France. In 2009 Kenneth Roman authored “the King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the making of Modern Advertising.” -
AOL & Warner Bros.
AOL and Warner Bros. announced plans to create a broadband network called In2TV to streamcast old TV shows beginning in early 2006. They planned 2 minutes of advertising for each half hour. -
Arkansas judge..
An Arkansas judge approved a $90 million settlement between Google Inc. and advertisers who claimed improper billing for fraudulent clicks on ads. -
Mexico's broadcast
A broad electoral reform that infuriated Mexico's broadcast industry by barring political parties from buying radio and television advertisements took effect. -
Julian Sivulka
Julian Sivulka authored “Ad Women: How They Impact What We Need, Want, and Buy,” a history of women’s role in American advertising. -
Francesca Beauman
Francesca Beauman, British historian, authored “Shapely Ankle Preferr’d: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad.” -
Hyundai
Hyundai Aims To Dominate 2012 Super Bowl Auto Advertising