HOW ADVERTISING STARTED

As advertising has become the source of many business success, we scholars needs to know how the whole thing of advertising started.

 The history of advertising is divided into six periods or stages as follows:

a. Pre- printing period, prior to the Fifteenth century.

b. Early printing period from the Fifteenth century to about 1840.

c. Period of expansion, from 1840 to 1900.

d. Period of consolidation from 1900 to 1925.

e. Period of scientific development, from 1925 to 1945;and

f. Period of business and social integration from 1945 to the present.

a. Pre- Printing Period

The 'Town crier' was the first means of supplementing sign advertising during the Pre- printing period. The 'criers' had charters from the government and were often organized in a sort of union. Their numbers were usually restricted. In the province of Berry, in France, in the year 1141, twelve 'criers' organized a company and obtained a charter from Louis VII giving them the exclusive privileges of town crying in the province. The Power of commercial criers grew until they were able in some instances to obtain an edict from the ruler of the land forcing shopkeepers to employ a 'crier’

b. Early Printing Period

The invention of the printing press and the revival of learning meant much to business. It had led to the production of advertisements in large quantities for wide distribution. The first printed English advertisement was a 'handbill' or 'poster' announcement written by William Caxton in 1472.

In general, the growth of advertising during this period, paralleled the increase in population and in the number of periodicals and newspapers in circulation in both Europe and the United States. However, in 1712, England levied a tax on newspapers and advertising, which retarded the growth of newspapers as well as the advertisements in newspapers,  caused the bereavement of such a leading publication as 'Addison's spectator'.

During that time the tax on each advertisement, regardless of size, amounted to 84 cents at its peak. In England the taxes on both newspapers and advertisements were abolished in 1853. The circulation of newspapers in the United States, where no tax was imposed, was much greater than in England, during this period consequently more advertisements advertisers had emerged in the United States when compared to England. Printed advertising was generally in use until the end of the Eighteenth century.

C. Period of Expansion

This period includes, the sixty years between 1840 and'1900. It was during these six decades that the great changes, which had a vital influence on the business of advertising, were witnessed in the United States.

By 1840, the growth in the numbers and the circulation of magazines were mainly due to the development of rapid and long distance transportation. This parallel movement is rather striking, while it does not prove a casual relationship between the growth of long distance transportation and advertising media, it is logical to believe that the increase of transportation facilities did have a definite influence on the rapid rise in the number of publications.

 In fact, the increased revenue from the sale of advertising space encouraged a growth in the number of publications and their wider circulations. Advertisements during that period were mostly trade advertisements in nature, announcing the arrival of shipments of Coffee, Tea, Silk cloth, etc.

Advertisements at that time were also designed special for 15 dealers in consumer goods as well as grocery or dry goods. Advertisements were mostly handled by printers and publishers of newspapers, who used to sell advertisement space to procure necessary finances for their survival and growth, many of the advertisements during this period were the classified variety, which had carried classified business information.

In 7893 more than half of over a hundred firms spending more than fifty thousand dollars annually on advertising were patent medicine manufacturers. But only 20 years later, many of these firms were not patent medicine manufacturers anymore but manufacturers of food, soap, cosmetics and automobiles. These firms began to market their packaged goods under various brand names. Some of the first brands were of the firms like Ivory, Colgate, Wrigley and Coca Cola. Previously household products of daily use like milk, sugar, soap, rice and candles had been sold in the neighborhood shops in bulk packages. Emergence of consumer market during mid Nineteenth century gave rise to the modern marketing system, which had led to the emergence of consumer advertisements on the scene in late nineteenth century.

The late Nineteenth century witnessed the half tone printing process, which aided the ability to publish a realistic pictorial display. Further development of Chromolithography, especially in Germany, enabled the use of color picture, which rendered advertisements more eye catching. The late Nineteenth and early Twentieth century also witnessed the appearance of consumer product advertisements like Tooth pastes, Shampoos, Readymade dresses in magazines.

d. Period of Consolidation

This period stretches over a period of 25 years from 1900 to1925.1n 1911 a crusade against the ranker types of untruthfulness in advertising was launched in the United States. Printers Ink, the Curtis Publishing Company and other organizations led the fight to reduce or eliminate the use of gross exaggeration, false testimonials and other forms of misleading and untruthful advertising. It was also during this period that trust - busting, expose and reform programs became popular. It is not surprising that advertising was caught up in this clean up movement.

The Associated Advertising clubs of America helped in launching a campaign to promote truthful and ethical advertising. Consequently, several codes for truth in advertising were devised. Probably the most famous was the Printers Ink. Statute, published in 1911. It was a model that indicated the types of activities that were considered ethical, unethical and questionable.

The establishment of the Audit Bureau of Circulations in 1914 was another move for less untruth in the field. This Bureau sewed to validate the circulation statements made by publishers. This was a measure for self-preservation but it sewed to consolidate the gains made in the heyday of publication and advertising growth.

These groups tended to give a semi-professional character to the advertising business. They had some influence in solidifying the business and in raising ethics above the levels of previous periods. It first interesting to note that the American Association of Advertising Agencies in 1918 placed little or no emphasis on the importance of studying the consumer, his buying habits, needs and desires. This factor emerged as a vital element in advertising later by advertisers. By the end of this period many advertisers had established their own market and consumer research departments and specialized research firms had been organized to make independent and unbiased investigations for advertisers and media. This increased the quality of advertising strategy and the performance as well as benefits rendered to consumers.

During World War One.

World war one witnessed advertising as a profession and regarded it as a tool of social engineering with advertisements being used to mobilize public opinion in favor of the war. The support of social scientists and psychologists to the U.S advertising industry in 1920's contributed towards marking this industry more dynamic and imaginative. Product appeals were emphasized less and greater prominence had been laid on appeals such as fear, hope, emotion, insecurity, attachments, and desires.

Radio Adverts.

The advent of Radio in 1920 marked a remarkable development in the advertising world. The initial stages excluded the use of radio for advertising only to be included two years later with the W.E.A.F. broadcasting station in New York selling radio time to producers. Thus during 1920s advertisers and their agents had come to realize the possibilities of radios as a means for attracting the prospective consumers of various products and services. With it's drama and immediacy, radio could convey their messages directly to the consumers who would not need to purchase a publication or even need to be literates. By the mid 1920bs, advertisers' sponsored programs on Radio were a common feature in the U S only to be joined by T.V.

e. Period of Scientific Development

This period saw the application of the scientific methods to resolve the problems of advertising. Knowledge was systematized to a much greater degree than before; and facts were observed, recorded and classified through the application of various scientific devices.

There were a few "radical" advertising men who were so bold as to suggest that advertising be subjected to tests to prove or disprove its ability to work the wonders claimed for it. Not until the depression, starting in 1929, did these men get much of a hearing. But with advertising appropriations receiving liberal cuts, both professional advertising men and advertisers set out to test the effectiveness of advertising as a selling tool .Consequently, emphasis began to be placed on consumer research with a view to making advertisements more meaningful and ethical. Efforts in this direction include the Audience Research

Institute formed by A.C. Nelson and George Gallup in order to evaluate the advertisements on psychological basis, which had enabled the businessmen in improving considerably the quality of advertisements.

During this period of scientific development serious attention was given by many agencies and organizations to various methods for testing the sales effectiveness of advertising strategy media and copy. This was a new philosophy in the sense that it had meant subjecting the work of the creative man, the artist, the person who depended upon his own insights and intuition to some kind of performance yardsticks

f. Period of Business and Social Integration

The post war years were characterized by prosperity in advertising. In the 1950s came television which developed fast to the advertising-media .The growing popularity of T.V as an important media of mass communication and recreation had contributed greatly in bringing about this situation and had also provided the much needed momentum to the advertising business. This, in its turn, had led to a host of American companies to start sponsoring T.V programmes. These advertisers could demonstrate the use of their products and services and present well-known figures to praise such products and services.

They also could arrange emotions through television.

With the passage of time, advertising assumed an important position as a means of mass communication in Industrial societies. It not only generated greater sales but also had played an active role in boosting the images of companies The increased recognition which the advertising organizations attained as a part of the total fabric of the society had enabled such organizations all over the world to establish themselves as an integral factor in the dissemination of vital information pertaining to various products and services beneficial to the society. Advertisements also have become a common medium through which churches, political parties, labor groups, trade associations and the ordinary people communicate their ideologies, ideas and concepts to many of the public making up the total society. Advertising has also become an institution of persuasion to promote such social and economic values as safety health, education benevolence, Liberty, democracy, free enterprise and tolerance.

Today, advertising is wide- spread all over the world in different countries. but advertising trends vary from country to country. The turbulent environment of the 2oth century, with rapid changes in technology, products processes, methods, cut throat competition and emergence of new marketing challenges only indicates the significant role of advertising, which is expected to play in the survival and growth of business units.

BACHUBIRA ZAITUNI