Consumer response to advertising has evolved as advertising has adapted to advancements in printing and mail delivery, plus radio and television, and even more now in the digital age of marketing. Advertising has existed since the first time someone broadcasted their need to sell something. Word-of-mouth helped businesses establish and grow their brands. However, according to G2.com, the first written ad was discovered in the ruins of an Egyptian city. Written on papyrus in 3000 BC, the ad asked for help finding a runaway slave while also promoting the advertiser’s weaving shop.
Early Print Advertising from 1400 – 1700
The first print ad in history was published in 1472 when William Caxton printed ads for a book of prayers and nailed them to church doors in England. In 1454, printing took a turn towards modernization when Johannes Gutenberg put his printing press to commercial use, printing “thousands of indulgences” for the Church. Like most technological innovations, the printing press was not immediately available to the masses. Print advertising took a while to gain a foothold due to a number of factors. At this time, long-distance transportation opportunities were few and far between, so most people stayed in their own towns and villages, for most of their lives. With everyone knowing each other in their communities, most business owners didn’t need to advertise, as they already knew most of their customers.
Print Ads Popular in Newspapers
As societies evolved, print advertising grew in popularity.
- In 1605, Germany ran print ads much like modern classified ads in the newspaper,
- During the 1500s and 1600s, France and Italy printed and distributed fashion magazines that displayed print ads.
A Sea Change
A sea change in wider travel methods and established trade routes had developed by 1609, as the British Empire expanded around the globe. As a sign of the times, British newspapers regularly featured print ads for a variety of audiences that included:
- Opportunities to migrate to America
- Ads for spices from India, Persian rugs, porcelain from China, and many other items collected from around the world.
In 1704, the first newspaper ad to arrive in the American colonies, via the Boston News-Letter, consisted of a real estate ad, describing an Oyster Bay property, in the province of New York.
In 1729, Benjamin Franklin published the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper that included ads.
In 1836, Emile de Girardin launched La Presse, the first “penny press” newspaper in France, funded primarily through advertising, to make it affordable to everyone.
Print Advertising from 1800 to 1900
As advertisers began to realize the effectiveness of printed ads, indirect advertising grew in popularity. In 1835, billboards appeared on the scene, the first created in New York, advertised the Barnum & Bailey Circus. By the 1860s, billboards were a popular form of outdoor advertising. By the end of the 19th century, the appropriate format was defined and the popularity of billboards skyrocketed.
Direct vs Indirect Print Ads
One of the reasons fueling billboard popularity revolved around the fact that direct mail advertising to individuals, during this time, was considered too expensive for most businesses to consider. With indirect advertising, businesses could promote products or services with large signs and posters in front of shops and in store windows. However, in 1892, Sears and Roebuck made the first foray into direct mail advertising, launching a campaign consisting of 8000 postcards that generated 2000 new orders. Sears’s success encouraged other companies to invest more money into direct mail advertising.
Print Advertising Booms
Approaching the 20th century, as more newspapers and other periodicals realized it made good business sense to fund their publications with ads, in order to keep their subscription prices low, print advertising abounded. Around the same time, branding, featured in ads, was helping some businesses become household names. When the first ad agency opened in the UK, in 1899, Campbell’s Soup was their first client. In the late 1800s, Proctor and Gamble spent $11,000 on Ivory Soap ads, and in 1906, Kellogg’s recognized the need to start writing ads for cereal.
The Golden Age of Advertising —1900s to 2000
Advertising took a whole new turn when radio stations and television came onto the scene. Launched in 1922, the first radio advertising consisted of a 10-minute verbal presentation costing $50, about living a carefree life at the Hawthorne Court Apartments in Jackson Heights, Queens. Radio advertising was well received by audiences, allowing businesses to convey their marketing messages directly to consumers. By the beginning of the 20th century, more than 30% of the world’s businesses used radio advertisements. Also, advertisers at this time started to create more personalized ads, focused directly on the customer and the brand. With the success rate of radio ads, radio stations began to charge advertisers to broadcast their ads to their listening audience.
Television Ads
The world of advertising decidedly came into its own when Bulova Watch Company aired the first TV commercial, on July 1,1941. Lasting only ten seconds, the Bulova ad was viewed by 4000 people in New York via WNBT. The ad, a simple graphic with a voiceover, sparked the Golden Age of Advertising and set a precedent for the next 70 years. During the 1950s, television ads employed high levels of creativity to market their brands. Some brands, such as Kellogg’s started introducing characters to connect with their audience. Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger became the face of Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal. Many brands started focusing more on increasing their brand awareness with advertising instead of focusing on sales.
TV Ads Fuel Optimism
Businesses invested heavily in creating ads that expressed their brand’s unique qualities and engaged their target audience. Despite the tension caused by the Cold War in the 1950s, American TV viewers began to feel optimistic and started opening their wallets as a sense of prosperity began to surface again, as it had after WWII. This change in advertising tactics, to more personalized messaging was a time of huge ideas and personalities to match for TV advertising, from the 1960s through the late 1980s.
Print Ads Explode in Popularity and Reach
Print and direct mail popularity continued to grow, even as TV ads increased in popularity. Also, at this time, images and graphics started to play a larger role in print ads, with a paradigm shift from text heavy ads to using more images strategically with limited text. When color printing replaced black and white ads, in the 1940s and 1950s, images dominated the print ad market, as brands exploded in popularity and reach. With more transportation easily available, in cars, on trains, and on airplanes, businesses could reach larger audiences plus deliver products longer distances. Also, with competition from television, print ads needed to use visuals as effectively as they could to keep attracting and holding consumers’ attention. Then the Internet changed everything!
Tune in next month to find out how online marketing evolved and how Money Mailer helps local businesses grow with the combination of direct mail and online components! Money Mailer is attuned to the advertising needs of today, and dedicated to helping you achieve your business goals.