History of Advertising.

After discovering the diamond industry used a concentrated twenty to thirty year advertising campaign to  , I wondered how long advertising has been around.  Its something we see in print, on the television, or hear via the radio.  Its what is used to finance these businesses but how or when did it all start?

Someone said there has been advertisements as long as people have had something to sell but its rather difficult to find information on it from a long time ago.  What I do know is that the first advertisement published in a newspaper in the United States occurred back in 1704, when a real estate ad appeared in the Boston Letter-News.

The Boston Letter-News started publishing on April 24, 1704 as a one page weekly paper filled with British News. The local postmaster published the paper.

In 1742, The General Magazine published by Benjemin Franklin carried the first magazine ads here.  Over the next few years, more print avenues began publishing and newspapers soon went daily instead of weekly.  By 1843, the first advertising agency opened in Philadelphia and by 1873 enough advertising agencies had opened to hold their first convention in New York City.

Advertising had made enough strides for a department store to hire its first copywriter in 1880. Two years later, Ivory soap began the largest advertising budget ever.  A whole $11,000.  Print advertising continued growing over the following years but when radio began, a new media for advertising opened up.  In 1922 a New York City radio station offered 10 minutes of radio time for $100 and a real estate company took them up on the offer thus becoming the first advertisers via this medium.

Two years later companies began sponsoring radio programs as a way to increase their advertising reach. Unfortunately, the depression forced many companies to decrease their budgets. By the end of the 1930's, television is making its appearance in the landscape on the east coast.  In 1941, the first television ad hit the air during the opening and closing times of a New York station.  The ad?  a 60 second spot showing a ticking watch to all 7,500 viewers. 

Fast forward to 1954 when CBS became known for being the largest advertising medium.  Two years later, advertisements went from live to prerecorded so all advertisements could be created in advance and shown.  At the same time, companies began creating "images" associated with products as a way of making people feel a connection.  One of the more famous ones is the Marlboro Man, a cowboy who showed that real men smoked and it wasn't just a women's thing.

Since its introduction in 1994, the internet has changed the face of advertising with banners, ad sense, etc.  Companies began using the World Wide Web for advertising in 1997.  The internet has changed the way companies advertise because there are social media sites, blogs, companies, etc. 

Advertising has come a long way since the first ad appeared in the United States back in 1704.  Let me know what you think.