• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Historyplex

Historyplex

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Articles

History of Advertising: How the Sector Progressed to the Modern Day

Home / History of Trades / History of Advertising: How the Sector Progressed to the Modern Day

The history of advertising ranges throughout the centuries, following the available communication methods. However, whether through newspapers or virtual reality devices, advertisers follow the same basic principles to achieve the same goals. Advertisers may want to persuade public opinion towards a product, a course of action, a candidate, or any other cause. Read on to learn about the long history of advertising as it traveled to the modern-day.

A Note on Political Freedom

No matter the thing being advertised, all advertisement shares two things in common: that public persuasion is the goal and that advertising can only exist in countries that are free from Communism.

That may sound like a political statement out of left field, but this is the first aspect of advertising history that must be understood. The free world can persuade people to support products or causes because they have a choice of which to buy or support. In a Communist country, candidates do not have to always follow advertising principles because their people are not really free to choose who or what they support.

In this way, modern advertising can be considered a watermark of a free society. If people have the ability to choose a political candidate or a company to support, then advertising still applies. The history of advertising relies on this prerequisite.

The Early History of Advertising

Unlike the history of other trades, advertising needed reasonably modern civilization to work. Word of mouth advertising in medieval times did the trick, but printing satisfied the real need to turn advertising into a profession and a craft. This means that the real history of modern advertising begins with print in the 1600s and 1700s.

Later, newspapers in London brought advertising to the true mainstream. Advertising history followed business expansion throughout the industrial revolution to become the profession it is today.

The Modern History of Advertising

The 1800s saw a huge expansion in business, which necessitated rising attention given to advertising. The first ad agencies formed in the United States. Essentially they organized and negotiated newspaper space between prospective advertisers, eventually inventing the ads themselves. By the 1920s, ad agencies could create ad campaigns for their clients from the ground up.

Newspapers and then magazines provided the main outlet for agencies to get their clients’ word out there. Of course, the invention of radio and later television broadcasts brought with it renewed interest in the composition of advertisements. Agencies had to rethink their game to make advertising work in the new mediums. They transitioned to targeted campaigns as companies created their own ad departments to manage their products’ public image. Now, marketing is a full-fledged degree field and lucrative professional industry that goes way beyond verbal and print ads, but still retains the basic principles of ancient advertising to this day.

History of Advertising: The Takeaway

The history of advertising follows both technology and civilization through many developmental phases. As print made advertising more viable, television and now computer-based advertising methods have made it a full-fledged craft. Those who hope to pursue advertising should know where it comes from. Though the mediums have changed, the principles of the history of the profession still apply.

Like it? Share it!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
« Previous Post
Next Post »

Category iconHistory of Trades Tag iconadvertising history,  education,  historical resources,  history,  inventions,  jobs,  world history

Get Updates Right to Your Inbox

Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)...right to your inbox.
Blog Updates

Further Insights

">Drive Thru History Ancient Arches
">Drive Thru History: A Brief Guide to the Online Courses
January 31, 2021
">History of Mobile Phones iPhone
">History of Mobile Phones: From Bulky to Ubiquitous
January 29, 2021
">History of Forensic Science Lab Workers
">History of Forensic Science: From the Ancients to the Present
January 27, 2021

Primary Sidebar

Search

Latest Articles

Drive Thru History Ancient Arches

Drive Thru History: A Brief Guide to the Online Courses

History of Mobile Phones iPhone

History of Mobile Phones: From Bulky to Ubiquitous

History of Forensic Science Lab Workers

History of Forensic Science: From the Ancients to the Present

Tom Holland Historian Ancient Rome

Tom Holland Historian: Major Works of the BBC Presenter

Exploring the website?

Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there!

Footer

We hope you enjoy this website. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more!
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Copyright © Historyplex & Buzzle.com, Inc.
6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.