U N I T module 1 2 A BIT OF HISTORY This Unit deals with the history of advertising and how its techniques evolved from its origins to the present day. The first posters and advertisements were European but the seeds of the story were sown in the middle of the nineteenth century in the United States. The major difference between these first advertisements and the modern industry lies in the context of consumption. A. HOW ADVERTISING BEGAN The origins of advertising lie thousands of years in the past. The ancient Egyptians carved messages on stone tablets and placed them along main roads where people could see them. Archaeologists uncovered outdoor displays, such as eye-catching signs painted on the walls of buildings, notably in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii. In ancient Greece and in Medieval times merchants used to shout the praises of their wares in the streets, just as today people do on TV or on the radio. It was just after the invention of the printing press in 1445 that merchants started to use little flyers containing symbols of the guilds members to advertise their products. The first known advertisement printed in English appeared in 1480 it advertised the sale of a book and it was posted on church doors. In the 17th century, advertisements started to appear in weekly newspapers in England. In the USA, the first known magazine ad appeared in 1741 in the General Magazine, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin. In 1786, William Taylor began to offer his services as Agent to the country s Printers, Booksellers, etc. in the Maidstone Journal. But it was in 1842 that the history of modern advertising began. It was a certain Volney B. Palmer who first uttered the words advertising agent . That year, he created the first advertising agency in Philadelphia. As the economy expanded during the 19th century, the need for advertising grew at the same pace. The first people to be involved in advertising were primarily pioneers of the idea that industrial revolution could bring about mass consumption through mass communication. In the United States two people had a key impact on laying the foundations of the profession: George P. Rowell, who published the first media directory in 1869, and Francis W. Ayer who, a short time later, offered his clients a transparent, commission-based, payment system. A whole range of media was tested in a short space of time: mobile advertising, sandwich boards and brochures. The first of what we now call posters appeared on public transport in London in 1847 and catalogues appeared in France at the turn of the century. During these years, the world was changing at mind-boggling speed. The upheaval of the Civil War in America and the revolutionary movements in Europe left their mark on people s minds. However, the industrial revolution was in full swing and standards of living advanced immeasurably between the mid-nineteenth century and the eve of the First World War. In 1900, Albert D. Lasker turned copywriting, the art of creating an advertising campaign, into a big business: by researching market areas, he was able to find out what people wanted from commercial products. 24