Advertising Fundamentals: Characteristics and Historical Evolution

Understanding Advertising: Core Characteristics

1. A Process of Communication

Advertising is a specific communication process. The sender is the advertiser, and the message is the announcement. Media include newspapers, radio, film, television, and direct marketing. The target audience is the receiver.

2. Impersonal Nature

Advertising operates through media where there is no personal contact. It uses impersonal channels, unilaterally addressing people who are not required to respond directly to the sender.

3. Paid Communication and Advertiser Control

The advertiser pays for the advertising, giving them significant control over its characteristics: time, frequency of emissions, media, and communication channel. However, some forms of promotion, such as advertising on company buildings, product packaging, brochures, or commercial vehicles, are considered owned media and do not always incur direct media costs.

4. Utilization of Mass Media

Advertising is an effective method to reach a large number of people in a short amount of time. It primarily utilizes mass communication media such as the press, television, radio, cinema, and direct marketing.

5. Informative and Persuasive Function

Advertising provides information aiming to influence the purchase of goods or services. Beyond commercial products, advertising is also currently used for environmental causes, religious messages, political ideas, non-profit organizations, and public administration campaigns.

6. Influencing Purchase Decisions and Acceptance

Advertising informs and targets audiences to influence their purchase decisions or the acceptance of ideas. The results of an advertising campaign are typically assessed by considering factors such as sales figures and the overall scope and reach of the campaign.

The Evolution of Advertising: A Historical Perspective

Origins and Early Development

There is no single definitive record of the birth of advertising. Its development can be closely identified with the rise of capitalism, though popular sentiment often attributes its recent origin. However, modern advertising and marketing truly emerged as a significant phenomenon after World War II.

Key Stages in Advertising's Evolution

• Stage 1: Ancient Oral and Visual Communication

  Early forms of advertising relied heavily on verbal communication and simple visuals. This included:

  • Merchants using shouts, cries, and musical instruments to announce wares in markets (e.g., by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, nomads, and Greek merchants).
  • Fires used as signals for communication.
  • Oral proclamations by heralds, preachers, or teachers, who also proclaimed laws and performed business tasks in ancient societies (e.g., in Greece).
  • The role of the town crier, which continued into the Middle Ages, representing a peak in verbal advertising.
  • Early iconographic advertising, utilizing symbols and images, which was particularly important in ancient Greece.

• Stage 2: The Rise of Written and Printed Forms

  As societies developed, written and early printed forms of advertising emerged:

  • Early written records and codes, such as the Code of Hammurabi, contained trade rules relevant to commerce.
  • "Albums" (referring to tablets or early written records), texts, and posters became methods for public announcements.
  • Published prayers also served as a form of public communication.

• Stage 3: The Birth of Modern Advertising

  The true birth of modern advertising, characterized by mass media and sophisticated marketing techniques, is generally associated with the period following World War II. This era saw the widespread adoption of television, radio, and print media for large-scale campaigns, transforming advertising into a powerful economic and cultural force.