CHAPTER II HISTORY OF ADVERTISING OVERVIEW

[Pages:62]- CHAPTER II - HISTORY OF ADVERTISING AN OVERVIEW

This chapter is devoted to give an overview of the history of advertising in general, in lndia and in Kerala. Section I of this chapter makes a brief review of the history of advertising in general. Section II gives a resume' of the history of advertising in lndia while Section Ill gives a brief account of the history of advertising in Kerala.

SECTION - I

ORIGIN OF ADVERTISING The origins of advertising lie thousands of years in the past. One of

the first known methods of advertising was an outdoor display, usually an eye-

catching sign painted on the wall of a building. Archaeologists have uncovered many such signs, notably in the ruins of ancient Rome and Pompeii. An outdoor advertisement excavated in Rome offers property for rent, and one found painted on a wall in Pompeii calls the attention of travellers to a tavern situated in another town.

As much as some three thousand years ago Papyrus sheets were used in Thebes in Egypt for announcing the reward for return of runaway slaves1.The first advertisement was somewhat in the form of stenciled inscriptions. which were found on earthen bricks prepared by the Babylonians

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

about three thousand years before Christ. The bricks carry the name of the

temple in which they were used and the name of the king who built it, just as a

modern public building which contains a corner stone or stone tablet with the

names of officials in office when the structure was erected. The method was to

cut a stencil in hand stone and with it each brick was stamped while the clay had

been in its son stage. The kings who did this had advertised themselves to their

subjects

which

could

b

e

read

in

hieroglyphics"

2 .

In medieval times a simple but effective form of advertising was

wry popular. Merchants employed the so called "town criers" who shouted the

praises of the merchants' wares3 and the arrival of trade-ships4. Printed

advertising played no big role until the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1445. Now the printers and later the merchants used little flyers to advertise their products These flyers often contained characteristic symbols of the guild members and the tradesmen and were also used as a poster on walls. This form of advertisement lasted for a very long time.

In the olden days, advertisements were more passive and

extremely limited in scope. The earliest forms of advertisements were sign -

boards and writings on the walls of prominent buildings. Sampson (1874) in his

History of Advertising, which was first published in 1874, points out that " signs

over shops and stalls seem naturarally to have been the first efforts in the direction of advertisements and they go back to the remotest portions of the world's history ''5. These early signs were, for the most part had been made of

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

stone or terra cotta "and set in to the pilasters at the sides of the open shop

6

fronts" . Later, signs were hung over the walks and above the entrances of shops. Some of them had been extended entirely across the streets.

In the 1880s a new era of advertising began: New methods of manufactur~ngled to greatly increased outputs and decreased costs for the producers of consumer goods. The products at that time could be packaged at the plant itself. Moreover, the telegraph network came into existence and a network of rail - roads, had also crisscrossed the continent. All these were the factors, which allowed a nation-wide distribution and nation-wide advertising. This state necessitated the growth of advertising agencies and dictated their activities. The most widely advertised consumer products at that time had been the patent medicines.

Broadly speaking the history of advertising might be divided irito 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.

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

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

7 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

8

'handbill' or 'poster' announcement written by William Caxton in 1472 . A copy

of that advertisement is exhibited in Plate No. - I and the changing styles of

advertisements in Kerala from early periods to the present time are shown in

Plate No. - It.

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

1'1 I

I

1.IK \ 1 PRI N ? ' t I l AIIVEKI LSEMENT

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

PLATE - II

CHANGING STYLES OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN KERALA FROM EARLY

PE.RiODS TO THE PRESENT TIME

P

6.

A Typical Adir~li;..!~i~nt, a Health ;on,At

,.,.,,, , ,

. . , ,,'. .?',,T . . , *,. ,

. ..,_-.. . --1,; a.

.

--.-.

. . *., - Pi,

..,, ,.>, ,*.,

r r l . , .,

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

E

Advertisement of a Healtl>Ionicand a roo& powder

(in Grams Swara~. Malayaiam monthiy m June 3950,

F.

Advertisement of Wrist watches

. 11rl Cinema Mazika Malayalammonthly in Nov. 1963)

G

H.

Styies ,f Aaiertisernents of Fllnls In Kerala d u r ~ n g1950s and 1960s

I. Styles ot XdveR~sementsof Textiles in Kerala during the periods 1975- 1980

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

Prepared by BeeHive Digital Concepts Cochin for Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download