The history of effective marketing
It’s time for a bold statement!
Believe it or not, the recipe and key ingredients for effective advertising haven't actually changed since 3000 BC.
The history of advertising and marketing can be traced all the way back to the early civilisations of Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. And merchants and traders used very similar techniques to promote their goods and services that we still do today.
So, bare with me and let’s see what I’m on about!
Ancient Advertising
Pamphlets - Strangely enough back in Ancient Egypt 3000 BC there was a distinct lack of TV, social media and internet advertising. What they were doing though was plastering their ads and wares on papyrus and sending them all about town. These were basically the first ever flyers used to promote sales, products and events.
Branding - Not to be outdone, the Ancient Greeks and Romans jumped on the advertising bandwagon too. Archaeologists, notably in Pompeii, found buildings marked with colourful symbols depicting what the merchant was selling, commonly with a written inscription underneath describing the product. Some of the more popular and profitable merchants had floor mosaics crafted depicting their wares pronouncing them “The best” and “Highest quality” as well as adding labels on their packaging describing the quality of their produce too.
Trademarks have also been dated back to 2000 BC with seals or impressed images being used upon peoples wares, these marks, (provided the product was good!) associated the product to a person, indicated quality and boosted brand awareness.
Retail signage and Banners were popular throughout both the East and West in antiquity. Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks were known to use signage for shop fronts and to announce public events such as market days and games. In China, shops, taverns and restaurants would use colourful cloth banners to advertise themselves to passers by. Hotels and Inns in both Ancient Greece and Rome had signs encouraging people inside describing the quality of the wine/food/rooms etc. Rome even had its own newspaper! The “Acta Diurna” or “Journal of the Roman People” instigated by none other than dear old Julius Caesar in 59 BC!
Hawkers! As literacy wasn’t exactly universally popular some of the best advertising came from word of mouth - loud ones in particular! Vendors would either shout their wares or employ someone to do so on their behalf. Entrepreneurs of this art incorporated songs and rhymes (like jingles) into their pitches to create a point of difference. Hawkers in Ancient China also incorporated tunes and music to their sales pitches in an effort to stand out further.
Celebrity endorsements! As popular in Ancient China as they are today! During the Han dynasty a collection of stories and historical events depict a horse trader. Unable to get a decent price for his wares he changed strategy. He made a proposal to a very famous and local horse expert - he would pay him simply to come and view his horses on a couple of occasions and feign interest. This resulted in the other market goers quickly gathering around the marketeers stall and buying EVERY horse there! Some at TEN TIMES the original price!
Commerce, as you would expect, continued to grow and, as the years and centuries went by, business began to develop and expand ever further.
Merchants, now more than ever, travelled internationally to heavily trafficked “market towns” to make sales.
This level of competition upped the ante and made marketing techniques even more crucial and sophisticated.
Medieval Marketing
Events - Medieval fairs were the first “Big Markets” and/or “Business events”. They were of such a size that they attracted buyers and sellers from all over Europe and beyond. The most famous of these Fairs being held in Bruges, Belgium and Champagne, France. These “fairs” covered a whole host of modern day topical business opportunities like product launches, demonstrations and networking.
Banners & Product Placement - At fairs both big and small to attract buyers merchants used colourful banners, decorated their stalls and organised their products to best catch people's eyes - similar to how stores today arrange their produce to look the most appealing.
Speculate to Accumulate - The prime spots in any market were expensive to obtain. The wealthier merchants got the best locations whilst others had to work harder to advertise and get attention by employing Criers, offering discounts, demonstrations or free samples.
Market Research - Fairs, particularly the larger ones, were the prime location for merchants to try and test new products. If something sold well they knew to bring more next time and would get a better understanding overall of the customers needs.
Business organisations - Guilds took a firm hold of commerce in the Middle Ages. They promoted their skills and products at the fairs and festivals establishing their skill, prominence and expertise in what they did. The Guilds were basically groups of craftsmen who subsequently controlled a multitude of trades such as blacksmithing, tailoring, carpentry etc. They set rules for quality, pricing and who could sell what - pretty much the first ever Office of Fair Trading and Chambers of Commerce!
Branding - By ensuring high standards and quality Guild marks branded on goods became a recognisable symbol of quality, value and built trust in the product itself.
Imagery - In Medieval Europe the vast majority of the population couldn’t read so marketeers had to resort more to imagery. Instead of signs that read “tailor”, “blacksmith” or “cobbler” high quality and colourful pictures would be displayed that best associated their relevant trades.
Town Criers (like Hawkers but now much more professional!) - Still before the advent of mass and multi medias businesses still needed a voice to flout what they had! So, having set up in the local marketplace a merchant would employ a Town Crier to walk about the place calling out what said merchant was selling and where.
Free samples! The Town Criers were often employed to carry a sample of the wares they were peddling - a point of difference when it came to encouraging a sale!
Signage - Throughout Britain and Europe Innkeepers were now expected to erect a signboard which subsequently progressed on to all other types of business.
Invention! Towards the end of The Middle Ages an advancement was made that revolutionised marketing and its reach - the invention of the printing press. This enabled businesses communications and advertisements to be mass produced and provided a quick and cost effective route to reach potential customers.
Industrious Revolution! Advertising takes off!
The Industrial Revolution kicked off marketing properly. The growth of industry was phenomenal and, with it, rose the need for more advanced marketing techniques to sell their product to a much wider audience.
We finally saw our first ever advertising agent emerge too, a chap named Volney B. Palmer who opened an advertising agency in 1841.
The “message” behind advertisements also began to evolve in this time, becoming cleverer and more advanced in its delivery. It wasn’t just about selling products but also introducing ideas and suggesting a lifestyle to people.
Print Media - The printing press had advanced to the stage whereby it wasn’t just doing flyers and posters but was also knocking out magazines and papers full of advertisements. Companies were seeing the value in reaching as far afield as they could which led to paid advertising.
Radio - The first ever radio advertisement aired in 1922, a 15 minute advertisement promoting apartments in New York. Now, for the first time ever marketers could reach a massive audience through broadcast media.
Seeing by Wireless - A couple of World Wars hindered the full introduction and development of the television but, post WW2 it took off on a global scale. The first attempt at television advertisement was aired in the USA during a baseball game as a test run to see if TV could be used for promotions. The first “official” TV ad was in 1941 in the USA again, this time to advertise Bulova watches. The UK caught up in 1955 with an advert for toothpaste!
TV & Radio - much like in Ancient China TV and Radio saw the re-emergence of jingles, slogans and celebrity endorsements used in advertising.
Evolution & Influence - Now we began to see some truly sophisticated advertising techniques, brands began thinking psychologically looking at the emotional appeal of their products rather than the practical attributes.
Rather naughtily however there were some underhanded tactics experimented with too - subliminal messaging! An American researcher reported that popcorn sales saw an increase of 18.1% when the message “eat popcorn” was flashed up in a movie theater - the “flash” was too fast for conscious perception but still registered in the viewers minds.
Let’s get Digital!
With the advent of the internet and social media the world literally became an oyster for advertising. Audiences are global now and, with all the SEO, online advertising, influencers, data and analytics marketing is an incredibly complex business.
BUT…
Despite all the advances in technology, travel and information, effective advertising still has a fundamental basis, the foundation from which it all needs to be focussed.
So let’s get back to my initial statement!
Believe it or not, the recipe and key ingredients for effective advertising haven't actually changed since 3000 BC.
Because it’s the tools and equipment that we use to make, bake, produce, pack and deliver that big beautiful wedge of marketing cake that’s adapting and evolving. Human nature remains the same.
Human nature
Throughout history the primary method for successful advertising remains a constant and is firmly represented in the AIDA model.
Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
It doesn’t matter how many gadgets, gizmo’s, bells and whistles you have. If your advertising campaign isn’t first and foremost focussed on getting your customers attention and gathering their interest, as hard as it sounds you may as well not bother.
You can find out more on the AIDA principle by viewing Copy Top Tips!
