A Timeline History of Advertising
by Kim Tonkovich
A Timeline History of Advertising
There's a lot that can be learned from hundreds of years of history in advertising, with some methods invented centuries ago still used today. Here we have a fun and interesting glimpse of the past and the evolution of advertising through today.
1440-1450
Johannes Gutenberg began experimenting with printing in France around 1440. By 1450, he returned to Germany and perfected the printing press for commercial use, creating the first form of mass media.
1472
The first print poster ad in English is created in London, England and tacked to church doors by William Caxton announcing prayer books for sale.
1650
The first newspaper ad, offering a reward for 12 stolen horses is printed.
1730
Benjamin Franklin begins printing headlines and illustrations in his Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper.
1741
The first magazine in America, American Magazine, is published in Philadelphia by Andrew Bradford. Just three days later, Benjamin Franklin published his first issue of General Magazine.
1750's - 1776
Advertisements for enlistment to fight in the Revolutionary War are printed in papers and pamphlets, and delivered throughout the colonies.
1835
The first large format poster (billboard) in America, measuring over 50 square feet, is created in New York by Jared Bell for the circus.
1841
Volney B. Palmer opens the first American professional advertising agency in Philadelphia.
1873
The first product placement advertisement emerges when shipping companies are mentioned in Jules Verne's novel, Around the World in 80 Days.
1880's
Extravagant ads for miracle cures emerge.
1892
The first electric billboard ad for "Ocean Breezes" at a Coney Island resort is lit on the side of the Cumberland Hotel in New York's Times Square.
1892
The first direct mail marketing campaign is taken on when Sears prints 8,000 simulated hand-written postcards and mails them to 8,000 households, receiving back 2,000 orders. This successful undertaking led to the creation of the Sears Roebuck catalog, which by only two years later grew to 322 pages.
1902
Mellin's Food brand baby formula is the first advertisement to adorn an airship, or blimp.
1905
The first celebrity endorsement in the movies is shown in a Fatty Arbuckle silent film, when Fatty offers "conclusive proof that Murad cigarettes are the preference of men of cultivated taste."
1905
The first national print advertising campaign is undertaken by Gillette for its Safety Razor.
1911
The first 'sex sells' ad is created by J. Walter Thompson Agency for Woodbury Soap Company, with the slogan, "A Skin You Love To Touch".
1922
WEAF broadcast radio station (formed by the National Broadcasting Company, NBC) in New York City sells the first radio ad at $100.00 for 10 minutes. Radio advertising ramps up during the Roaring '20s.
1924
N.W. Ayer & Sons produces the first sponsored radio show, "The Eveready Hour."
1941
The first official television commercial airs for Bulova Clocks, who paid $9.00 for a 20-second ad for a watch that ticks before a baseball game that reached 4,000 television sets.
1950
Governor Dewey of New York runs the first political television ad.
1950's
Contests and giveaways become a popular form of advertising, with Dial soap giving away an actual oil well.
1957
DialAmerica is formed as the first telemarketing agency, still operating today as one of the largest call centers in the world.
1970
The first television infomercial airs, selling homes in San Diego.
1984
Apple launches its Macintosh home computer in the first Super Bowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott, costing $900,000.
1994
A big year for the dawn of virtual advertising...the first email spam ad is issued to newsgroups to promote Canter and Siegel's immigration law practice; the first Internet banner ads are launched by HotWired to promote AT&T, Sprint, MCI, Volvo, and others; and the first Pay-Per-Click keyword ads are invented by GoTo.com.
1997
The first mobile phone SMS ad is launched by a Finnish news provider offering free news headlines that are sponsored by advertising.
2000
Google's pay-per-click AdWords sparks performance-based Internet ads.
2001
Internet pop-up and pop-under ads come into play and bombard the screens of users.
2006
AdMob is incorporated, creating banner ads to mobile phone apps, browsers, and games.
2006
YouTube launches, and along with it, the birth of in-video ads, participatory video ads, and pre-roll ads.
2006
Viral marketing takes off with free Twitter and social media advertising.
2007
FaceBook is the first to use behavior-based advertising by targeting users' social interactions.
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References
- "A Timeline : The History & Evolution of Advertising"; Slideshare.net; June 30, 2013
- "The Evolution of Advertising : From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy"; Zoe Fox; Mashable.com; December 26, 2011
- "Here's some incredible pro-independence propaganda from the American Revolution"; BusinessInsider.com; July 04, 2015
- "Magazine Publishing"; Philip Soundy Unwin and George Unwin; Britannica.com
- "First Electric Billboard New York City"; Ephermeral New York; November 29, 2012
- "History of Advertising : No 184: A Sears Roebuck Catalogue"; Campaign.us; February 14, 2017
- "It Wasn't Always a Piece of Cake - The History of Telemarketing"; Air Marketing Group; November 23, 2018
- "The History of Advertising: A Timeline"; Jami Oetting; Blog.HubSpot.com; June 09, 2016