History of Advertising

Ever since Man roamed the earth, advertisements have existed. However, from verbal advertising during the ancient times to branding and marketing now in the modern era, advertising, as an industry and as a medium through which products can be introduced or launched, has greatly evolved. The timeline below will follow advertising through the history of mankind, taking note of the phases this constantly changing industry goes through.

Ancient Times	The very first form of advertisement was vocal - the shouting of announcements The next kind of advertisements come in the form of printed ads - posters or notices which usually have pictures only because few could read Rome - advertisements of Gladiator matches Arabia - commercial messages and political campaigns (political advertising) on display Egyptians - used papyrus for sales advertisements Greece and Rome - papyrus used for lost-and-found posters Asia, Africa and South America - wall or rock painting
Fifteenth and Sixteeth Century	Printing developed Advertisements appeared on handbills
The Seventeenth Century	Advertisements in the form of newspapers The first newspaper began in England in 1620 and the first advertisement is said to be one for the return of a stolen horse Simple and straightforward descriptions of products No embellishment Mainly used to promote books and newspapers (which were becoming increasingly popular with the printing press) Advertisements used to promote medicine which was largely sought in Europe as diseases were rampant (eg. The Only True Plague Water and Infallible Preventive Pills Against the Plague)
Early and Mid Nineteenth Century	Newspapers still did not place much emphasis on advertising, however, and restricted the advertisements to the back pages with very little pictures Some advertisements were appeals for the capture of slaves in America Few companies which mass production of goods with branding - less opportunities for advertising Advertisements on medicine were proliferated due to conventional medicine being unable to provide cures - manufacturers have to vie for the consumers' attention
Late Nineteenth Century	Industrial Revolution - technological advances Explicit branding was introduced - to ensure consumers safety and quality in products; adds value and reputation to manufacturer Images and colour were added; more flavour was added to advertisements More choices were possible Business environment starts to change with the increase of industries manufacturing standardized products - advertising increasing in response to this change Thomas Barratt The father of modern advertising With the introduction of the series of advertisements promoting a product called ¡®Pears Soap', placing more emphasis on marketing the product Launched a series of advertisements featuring children Promotes an image of simplicity and purity, which still hold as the company's values today Emergence of advertising agencies Completely refreshed advertising industry, having the need to respond to an increasing market Products now needed advertising for promotion to survive Advertisements now serve as a medium for communication as well In 1843, the first advertising agency was established by Volney Palmer in Philadelphia. N.W. Ayer & Son was the first full-service agency to assume responsibility for advertising content and to charge a commission on advertisements. Advertising a career option for women
World War I (1920s)	Advertisements were used as propaganda ? the British
First part of Twentieth century	Total advertising volume in the United States grew from about $200 million in 1880 to nearly $3 billion in the 1920s Mass media Increased mechanisation of advertising industry which led to increase in costs of products Producers use advertising to create a sense of need in the consumer Advertising agencies, instead of only providing advertising space for creators of advertisements, are now hired to actually design and create the advertisements Advertising could make use of the cinema, magazines or radio to effectively transmit messages Radio broadcasting - shows are sponsored and sponsors will be briefly mentioned Greater advertising expenditure than before Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression and World War Two - put an end to widespread affluence
1950s	Introduction of television Consumers now have enough disposable income to really respond to the need creation message of advertisers. More material and luxury goods were created, thus more advertising was needed Advertising hinges on the people's desire for a better living The growth of science, dieting and cigarette advertising Europe was relatively slower (a decade or so) than the USA in allowing commercial TV stations to broadcast advertisements The idea of the commercial break was introduced by NBC executive Sylvester Weaver to allow separate blocks of broadcast time for the advertisements
1960s	More creativity in advertising Purpose of advertising is now to create a concept that the viewers can relate to or associate directly with the product or the brand Creative Revolution (American advertising) Bill Bernbach who helped create the revolutionary Volkswagen ads Audience were more segmented - more advertisements with target audience in mind
Late 1980s - Early 1990s	Introduction of cable television and MTV Consumer voluntarily watches channels for advertisements - entire channels on cable television dedicated to advertising of merchandise (eg. ShopTv) MTV also promoted popular culture and proliferated the use of advertisements
1990s	Marketing through the Internet became more and more popular Some websites used advertising as a revenue, containing all sorts of advertisements, serving as a platform on which the consumer can view these advertisements which the manufacturers have paid to be placed on the site
Twenty First Century	Google - introducing unobtrusive advertisements Increasing number of interactive advertisements - involves viewers' participation Guerrilla Marketing - unconventional ways of advertising in public areas (eg. Giveaways and campaigns) Product placements - embedded advertisements, such as in Hollywood movies

What advertising may be like in the future is something that we may not be able to predict, with the rapid societal changes and technological advances. However, it is evident that advertising in society today will continue to use all the media possible to communicate with the audience. Thus, during the Internet Age we are in now, it is highly possible that advertising uses even more of the Internet than it does now, in ways of communicating like pop-ups and email advertising. There may also be websites set up exclusively used for advertising purposes. Also, since modern society places so much emphasis on popular culture, it is believed that advertising would increasingly use product placements in movies or celebrity endorsements. Advertising has become much more important today, so much so that it has become part of our culture, that it is something that we take for granted we see every day. However, what may become of advertising in the long run is something that none of us would be able to predict for sure.