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Period: 3000 BCE to 100 BCE
Early Written Advertising
Early forms of written advertising emerged in ancient civilizations, predating the invention of the printing press. The earliest discovered example is a papyrus from ancient Egypt, around 3000 BC, where a slaveholder used it to both advertise their weaving shop and search for a runaway slave. These early ads often appeared as inscriptions on walls, papyrus, or clay tablets, promoting goods, services, and offerings. -
Period: 3000 BCE to
PREHISTORY OF ADVERTISING
Around 4,000 years ago, producers began by attaching simple stone seals to products which, over time, were transformed into clay seals bearing impressed images, often associated with the producer's personal identity. -
1200 BCE
Ancient Egypt
First recorded ad: Found on papyrus in Thebes.
Hieroglyphics stone carvings.
Advertising goods/services in marketplaces.
Business signs to attract customers -
1196 BCE
Papyri
First advertising text "Shem" -
500 BCE
Ancient Greece
- KERUX (κῆρυξ) ---- Official public announcers with messages about: Political events, Religious ceremonies and Commercial offers
- AXONES ---- Cubic blocks painted white
- KYRBEIS ----Cylindrical structures with a rotating axis, allowing for easier reading.
- Oral + written adverstising ---- foundation for more sophisticated marketing strategies later used by ROMANS
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220 BCE
First use of printed advertising on silk and paper
China, Han Dynasty -
Period: 100 BCE to 400
Ancient Rome
-PRAECO ---- Public crier who announced: Official notices, Market sales and Events like gladiator fights
-ALBUM: Rectangular spaces painted white on the most visible walls of the city
-GRAFFITI: To advertise products, events, and political campaigns -
105
Woodcut paper and ink
Invented in China, woodcut is an engraving technique that consists of printing an image from a carved wooden board. -
868
1st printed book
Diamond Sutra -
1101
Organized criers
(12th Century) town criers, individuals historically employed to make public announcements in towns and cities. -
Period: 1401 to
The Printing Press+Mass Communication
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1447
Gutenberg's Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, a pivotal invention, revolutionized Europe in the 15th century by allowing for the mass production of books. -
First Printed Ads
First printed ads appeared in newspapers in 1600s in England -
Théophraste Renaudot
French physician, philanthropist,
journalist and adman. When he was young, he became a friend of Cardinal Richelieu. In the 1610s, Richelieu became more powerful and Renaudot
followed him to Paris. Renaudot, born a Protestant, converted to Catholicism. He
became the physician of Louis XIII of France -
Bureau des addresses et des rencontres
A recruitment office and notice board for
the jobless, where prospective employers
and employees could find each other -
Feuille d’intelligence
Renaudot created the first ads newspaper -
Free medical consultations for the poor
Renaudot initiated a system of free medical consultations for the poor -
Self-diagnostic handbook
The first treatise on diagnosis in France published by Renaudot. -
The Public Adviser
Ads newspaper created in England -
Period: to
Industrial revolution
A period of rapid technological and social change that began in the late 18th century, primarily in Great Britain, and spread to other parts of the world -
Period: to
French Revolution
A period of profound social and political upheaval in France, lasting from 1789 to 1799, that aimed to fundamentally alter the relationship between rulers and the governed. -
J. Walter Thompson
First American agency to expand internationally, opening a office in London in 1899. -
Period: to
BIRTH OF ADVERTISING
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P. T. Barnum
First modern advertising campaign: mix of posters, publicity stunts, and spectacle.
Used large, eye-catching advertisements with dramatic headlines and illustrations.
Barnum’s promotional strategy taught advertisers how to sell products in a creative and effective way. -
Lord and Thomas
Albert Lasker, known as the father of modern advertisment, purchased the firm in 1912. His radio campaigns changed popular culture. -
First Advertising agencies
By the late 19th century, advertising more
professionalized.
Agencies helped companies to place ads in
newspapers.
Agencies only bought ad space, businesses
designed the ads.
Later, agencies started offering creative services,
shaping modern advertising.
Early agencies included Havas (France), White
(UK), Manzoni (Italy), and Haasenstein (Germany) -
Patent Medicines
Patent medicines were untested and often dangerous remedies containing alcohol, opiates, and other harmful substances.
Ads for these products appeared everywhere: in newspapers, on posters, and even painted on rocks along roads. -
Period: to
CONSOLIDATION OF ADVERTISING
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Coca-cola logo
The Coca-Cola logo was created by Frank M. Robinson, an accountant for Coca-Cola’s founder -
Period: to
Art Nouveau
Modernized design by breaking from
historical styles, influencing art,
architecture, and advertising. This
movement transformed commercial
promotion into an art form, elevating
branding beyond mere identification.
Advertising evolved to create value,
shaping consumer perception -
Period: to
First World War
The First World War, also known as World War I or The Great War, was a global conflict that took place from 1914 to 1918. It involved the Entente Powers (led by France, Russia, and the British Empire) against the Central Powers (led by the German, Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Ottoman Empires). -
Food and Drug Act (FDA)
It was introduced to regulate misleading claims in medicine advertising. -
Uncle Sam
Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of the U.S. government in American culture and a manifestation of patriotic emotion. Uncle Sam has also developed notoriety for his appearance in military propaganda, popularized by a 1917 World War I recruiting poster by James Montgomery Flagg. -
Radio
In the 1920s radio was seen as a powerful instrument that could educate and inform the public. -
Period: to
EXPANSION OF ADVERTISING
-
Period: to
Scientific Advertising
It is a method of attracting consumers attention and emphasizing the product’s features by visually and dramatically expressing the product. -
Period: to
Art Deco
It is characterised by geometric forms, ornamental lines and primary colours, with an emphasis on mass production. -
Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes
Was a exposition held in Paris. The name of this exhibition was later shortened to Art Déco, a term that included the range of decorative arts and architecture created between world wars. -
VU
It was created by Lucien Vogel. It was the first major magazine to present photos in an essay format, making it an important influence on later photojournalism magazines like Life. -
Period: to
CREATIVE REVOLUTION
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"A diamond is forever"
Considered one of the best marketing campaigns ever -
Think Small
Think Small is an iconic Volkswagen advertising campaign, especially the Beetle's ‘Think Small’ campaign, which is considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. The campaign challenged the “more is better” paradigm of the time, proposing that simplicity and smallness can be beneficial. -
Creative revolution led by:
Bill Bernbach – emotional ads
David Ogilvy – classy, logical style
Leo Burnett – iconic brand characters -
Madison Avenue
Heart of U.S. advertising -
“Daisy Girl” ad
In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Daisy Girl” ad (by DDB agency) implied opponent Goldwater was dangerously extreme. -
Arpanet
The Internet was launched in 1969 under the name ARPANET = Advanced Research Projects Agency Network -
The Golden Age of TV Advertising
The 1980s are often seen as the golden age of television advertising.
TV ads evolved from simple moving print ads into cinematic storytelling.
Big-budget global campaigns became popular.
London’s creative scene began to influence American agencies.
Soho became known as "London’s Madison Avenue." -
Period: to
ADVERTISING IN THE LAST 3RD CENTURY OF THE 20TH
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Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH)
A small agency opened in London by John Bartle, Nigel Bogle, and John Hegarty. This agency is one of the world's most legendary agencies. -
Olivero Toscani
Was an Italian photographer, best-known worldwide for designing controversial advertising campaigns for United Colors of Benetton.
Three identical human hearts labelled black, white and yellow hinted at the racism in fashion, while another of his adverts - featuring a priest and nun kissing - was also eventually banned. -
Internet
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Period: to
THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
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Youtube
Video-sharing website, created in 2005 and owned by Google since late 2006: video clips, TV Clips, music videos, educational videos and ads. -
Ranking internet users
China, India and the US rank ahead all other countries in
terms of internet users (2020), and they still are today.
Spain is 24th in this statistic, with 46,2 million internet
users (2025).
The lowest numbers of internet users are found in North
Korea (0,06%), Eritrea (1%), Niger (4%), Western Sahara
(5%), Chad (5% and Central African Republic (5%)