200 years of American

advertising

Preliminary facts

• a study of cultural history

• a major educator of technology

• no foundational theory

• some tactics that work

• products that have stood the test of time

From the founding of the

Republic to World War I

(1789 - 1914)

The History of Advertising

1789 - 1800• advertising already well established and

imported from England

• 43 weekly newspapers

• 80% of ad copy was for land, slaves, and transportation

• 20% of ad copy was local

• newspapers were made of “rags”

• 16 column format - no design

1789 - 1800: Consumer profile

• very little discretionary income

• 90% rural dwellers and subsistence

farmers

• demand for products was substantial,

especially for staples such as coffee, salt,

hardware, clothes, and tools

1800 - Civil War (1861 - 1865)

• Communities grew and got wealthier

• most products advertised and sold locally

• coffee, sugar, liquor, and patent medicines were transported and were the first nationally advertised products

• 1850 technological innovation: wood pulp, chlorine

• 1868 emergence of first advertising agencies

• Major problems after 1868: managing demandmanaging production capacitydistribution of products

• Nature of ads:creative billboards and postersnewspaper legal format

• By 1861 growth of :magazines and readership

1800 - Civil War (1861 - 1865)

Civil War to World War I

1865 - 1914

1865 - 1914: Major Happenings

• Wartime shortages a catalyst for developments in technology

• Women enter the labor force in substantial numbers

• The appearance of BRANDING:1866 Borden’s Eagle Brand 1869 Campbell’s Soup 1873 Levi Strauss 1879 Ivory Soap

1903 Coca Cola

• Bulk packaging (“Cracker Barrel”)gave

way to trade marking:

Heinz 57 varieties

Kellogs

Post

• 1896 radio was invented

• Photographic innovation

1865 - 1914: Major Happenings

A special focus on patent medicines

• the identification and development of advertising locations and target marketing

• the birth of the American magazine

• the birth of catalogs, e.g., Montgomery Ward in 1872

• regulation of advertising rates

• regulation of advertising content

• development of creative advertising

The importance of patent medicines

By 1914 everything we know as advertising today was already in place in the U.S.

World War I to 1990

(1914-1990)

The History of Advertising

Some major inventions and events that changed the appearance of American Advertising just prior to WW I

Major Events and Inventions

• The invention of asprin:Pure Food and Drug Actdeath of patent medicine era

• Invention of the automobile:savage ad campaignsdevelopment of highwaysdevelopment of transportation systems

• Federal government buys ad space war bonds, recruitment, relief programs

Major Images prior to WW I• Women:

idealized visions

two alternative images

women making consumption choices

identity linked closely to family

• Men:

success climbing the corporate ladder

Product images prior to WW I

• Cosmetics and product for appearance• distant real estates and travel• endless stream of new inventions:

electric light bulbshand ironsvacuum cleanerswashing machinestelephonesgramophones

The War Years

1914-1918

And then came the . . . . .

1930s Depression

1930s The Great Depression

• the better life crumpled

• prosperity collapsed

• many advertising agencies were wiped out

• collapse of consumer demand

1935 - 1939 • market research was born

• ad copy turned strictly “hard sell” image

• age of advertising regulation was born

• the consumer movement started

• radio as a medium of advertising became very popular

• national magazines were plentiful and had audiences of millions

The War Years

1939-1945

The Post War Years

1945-1960

Post War Period: 1945-1960• economic boom

• baby boom

• demand boom

• and the advent of. . . . .

TELEVISION

Advertising’s Maturity

1960-1990 +

1960-1990+

• the design revolution and the birth of graphic art profession

• “boutique” advertising agencies

• decline of the era of the American magazine

• birth of strategic and target marketing

And then briefly . . . .

sexual images in advertising

Sexual images in advertising

• 1850s patent medicine ads

• 1880 fully clothed women

• 1889 even ankles were taboo

• 1913 ads were often “doctored”

• 1915 silk hose become accessible

• 1920 the “Flapper” era

• 1925 respectable standards were falling

• 1936 first female nudity

• 1947 Elliot White Springs

• 1950s images

• 1960s images

• 1970s images

• 1980s images

• 1990s images

Sexual images in advertising