HISTORY OF ADVERTISING

Criers

2000 BCE

Earliest form of verbal advertising. Town criers shouted out product offerings like carpets and spices in busy streets.

Phoenicians

1800 BCE

Fire became a sing of advertising.
When they arrived with new goods they lit up a fire.

Phoenicians

1800 BCE

Fire as an early advertising medium. It meant they had arrived with new goods.

Papyri – Ancient Egypt

1200 BCE

First known written commercial about a runaway slave and promotion of his shop.

Kerux, Axon, Kyrbo – Classical Greece

800 BCE

Kerux: Official crier for announcements (commercial and political). Axon Kyrbo: Wooden or stone columns used for public messages.

Praeco, Album, Graffiti, Signa – Ancient Rome

500 BCE

Advertising became visual:
- Praeco: Town crier.
- Album: Painted white boards with text (ads, events).
- Graffiti: Painted public announcements.
- Signa: Shop symbols (e.g. goat = milk shop).

Woodblock Printing – China

220

Graphic duplication of messages begins, first on textile, later on paper. OLDEST PRINTES BOOK: "Diamond Sutra"

Medieval Advertising – Europe

500

Advertising became performative. Main characters: newsmen, peddlers, charlatans, public criers with horns.

Praeco, Album, Graffiti, Signa – Ancient Rome

500

Advertising became visual:
Praeco: Town crier. Album: Painted white boards with text (ads, events). Graffiti: Painted public announcements. Signa: Shop symbols (e.g. goat = milk shop).

Signs & Guild Symbols – Late Middle Ages

1300

Visual branding began. These were wooden or metal signs to identify shops.

Printing Press – Germany

1447

Johannes Gutenberg. Mass production of ads begins.

Xylography and Chalcography – Europe

1450

Technique combining image and text in printed materials.

Newspaper advertising

1600

It was complicated due to censorship

Industrial Revolution – Europe

1800

Birth of commercialism and brand differentiation. More competence = need to stand out

P.T. Barnum & Modern Campaigns - USA

1850

Pioneer of modern advertising techniques.

Patent Medicines

1860

Unregulated ads promoted miracle cures, often addictive or harmful.

Birth of Advertising Agencies 1860-80s

1864

Beginning of the professional ad industry: 1864: J. Walter Thompson (USA) – sold space in women’s magazines. 1869: N.W. Ayer Son – first full-service ad agency.

Art Nouveau Movement

1880

Advertising becomes visually artistic, with curving lines, floral patterns, and idealized women.

Consumerism and Branding

1890

Consumers begin asking for brands, not just products. Branding is the added value that consumers trust. New brands appearing: Levi's Campbell's Soup...

Creation of USA Advertising Organizations

1904

Rise of the professionalization of the industry:
1904: Associated Advertising Clubs of America (AACA) 1912: Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) 1917: American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA)

Helen Lansdowne Resor (JWT)

1910

Pioneered women-focused advertising and editorial ad style. She created the first sensual ad.

War Advertising (during WWI)

1914

Advertising takes on nationalistic and emotional duties (appeals to emotions to get volunteers).

Phsychology in Advertising

1919

Start to sell identity, status... not only goods. Researchers and psychologists join agencies.

Women in Advertising

1920

Women become central targets of ads and product design.
Incorporated in work and consumption.
Buyed for the symbolic value.

Rise of Radio Advertising

1920

Advertisers talk directly into people's homes.

Illustrated Magazines

1920

Became more popular and respected, thanks to documentary photography and large photo magazines

Art Deco Movement

1925

Advertising became modern, eye-catching, and product-centered. This was the golden age of the poster as an advertising art form.

Scientific Advertising

1926

Guided by Claude Hopkins: Based on testing, research, and consumer psychology.

It's Toasted! famous campaign

1926

Slogan by Claude Hopkins at Lord Thomas Agency. Example of preemptive claim, precursor to USP: claimed a unique process, though all tobacco was toasted

Direct Response & Testing

1930

Coupons and A/B testing begin. Advertising becomes measurable.

TV Advertising

1941

First legal TV commercial: 1941, for Bulova watches. Brands start to sponsor full programs.

The Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

1950

Rooser Reeves emphasized one unique claim, repeated relentlessly.
“MM’s melt in your mouth, not in your hand.”

Modern Marketing

1955

The importance of storytelling and innovation. Madison Avenue is where major campaigns come from and where the biggest companies are at.

Creative Revolution

1959

Big budgets for advertising campaigns where emotion, wit, irony, and minimalism took importance. Important campaigns like "Think Small" marked a turning point.

Shockvertising

1990

First used more widely by Benetton, under art director Oliviero Toscani, with provocative campaigns. The tactic spread to public service ads. The goal of shock advertising is to grab attention by breaking taboos and provoking strong emotional reactions

Digital Advertising

1991

Rise of email marketing and corporate websites. First banner ad ever by ATT. Creation of search engines changed the process of creation of ads and how they were measured.

Google Ads and SEO boom

2000

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) becomes vital for visibility.
Brands begin using blogs and content marketing.
Ad budgets shift heavily toward measurable, digital platforms.

Social Media Revolution

2010

Beginning of microtargeting and personalization of ads thanks to platforms (new places for advertising and its measuring).
Influencer marketing start to rise.

AI, Privacy & Personalization

2020

Use of AI and machine learning for predictive targeting.
Surge short-form video (e.g. Reels, TikToks) and native ads.
Advertisements must be ethical and companies must take care of their communication.