History of Advertising

Advertising is dated back to the Christian Era. One of the first known methods of advertising was outdoor signs, they would be painted on the wall of a building and were usually very eye catching. Archaeologists have found signs in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii which advertised travelers to go to a tavern situated in another town.

In about the 1440's there was an invention of a movable-type of advertising which was a printing press. In the 16th century some companies had a trade mark which was a two or three dimensional picture or sign.

In both volume and technique, advertising has made its greatest advances in the U.S.

In the early stages of U.S. advertising it was hard and expensive to advertise nationally because the U.S. was still undeveloped and there was little of no means of transport, distribution or communication. Eventually certain type of manufactures thought of the idea of bypassing wholesalers, retailers and using catalogs.

An 1890s advertisement showing model Hilda Clark i...

Advertising

Coca-Cola advertisement on the cover of "American ...

Mail orders and pamphlets appeared around the 1870's.

Late in the 19th century many American firms began to market packaged goods under brand names. Previously consumers had not been aware of or influenced by brand names. The first product that had brand names were soap products. In the 1880's a few brands came out and they were Ivory, Pears, Sapolio, Colgate, Kirks American Family and Packer's. Not long after brands such as Royal baking powder, Quaker oats, Bakers chocolate, Hire's root beer, Regal shoes and Waterman's pens were nationally advertised. In the early 1900's America began to become aware of such brand names like Bon Ami, Wrigley and Coca-Cola.

After World War 1 advertising developed into a business so big that it was almost a trademark of America itself through the eyes of the rest of the world.

This was...