“The best advertisement is a satisfied customer” – Bill Gates
What is advertising?
Advertising is the art of mastering communication media to direct other people’s behavior where you want it. Well-conducted advertising is a real asset because it plays a decisive role in the decision-making process of consumers and citizens.
It can be used in various sectors: trade, of course, with the sale of products, but also politics with electoral campaigns, for example, or public services and NGOs with their awareness campaigns.
However, advertising is evolving. It does not remain frozen in time, but adapts to its environment but also to its time. The messages evolve, as do the media supports and means of dissemination.
Has advertising always existed?
The answer is yes. Advertising has always existed, it has only evolved and grown over time. It existed as early as Prehistory with the frescoes. The latter, painted on the walls, revealed to the eyes all the exploits of the great warriors. Then, in Antiquity, the first serial advertisement appeared in Thebes. It promised a gold coin to anyone who found a runaway slave.
In the Middle Ages, another type of advertisement appeared. As most people were illiterate at the time, advertisements were made by shouters. The latter gradually disappeared and the creation of the printing press in 1440 marked a turning point in the history of advertising. It was the beginning of flyers and posters that were distributed in series in the cities.
The “advertising frescoes” of Prehistory and Antiquity as well as the criers of the Middle Ages were, of course, not known as advertisements. It was not until 1630 that the term appeared.
The first printed advertisement in a periodical was published in 1660 in the London Gazette. It was a toothpaste advertisement. Then it was not until the 20th century that advertisements became more attractive because they were more colorful and more elaborate. This century is also marked by the appearance of logos, a first for companies which then see their products gaining in personality. The 20th century is the century of change for advertising. Indeed, after the appearance of logos and colors, a musical dimension is imposed thanks to the radio. It is the beginning of audio commercials.
Finally, in the 60s and 70s, we see a real boom in advertising. The latter becomes more and more present with TV commercials and is today omnipresent with the Internet.
A revival of advertising campaigns
In parallel with the multiplication of communication media (print formats, sound ads, web ads, etc.), advertising has seen the birth of new forms of messages.
They are no longer just used to sell or praise something or someone. They are also used to warn. We are talking about shockvertising. The latter is used for road safety campaigns for example. The goal is to shock to raise awareness.
Material and technological advances have impacted the evolution of advertising. The world is changing, so are its codes and populations, which is why advertisements must adapt to remain impactful.
Tomorrow's advertising
It’s hard to imagine today what tomorrow’s advertising will be like. But one thing is certain, it certainly hasn’t finished evolving. Advertising is now a major tool for competitiveness. It is everywhere: in the streets, on television, on our computers, tablets and laptops, on the radio, etc. It is everywhere. Hard to ignore it, it has become like normal, and its absence would create a vacuum in today’s world.
The evolution of technology even makes it a science. We study it, we analyze it and we love it, we are obsessed with advertising. It will continue to evolve thanks to technological advances. We tend towards virtual reality advertising or robotized advertising. Technology allows us to be more creative and therefore impactful, so let’s take advantage of it to create ads that stand out while avoiding being too intrusive.
Why call upon our communication agency to carry out your advertising campaigns?
Our communication agency and strategy consulting firm is composed of a large panel of experts at the service of advertising campaigns: copywriter, art director, photographer, videographer, campaign manager etc. Our advertising agency has all the strings to its bow to meet your expectations. Our experts also work closely with photographers and videographers. In addition to mastering a multitude of audiovisual techniques, they have experience in various fields such as fashion photography, culinary photography, packshots, advertising photography, sports photography etc. This collaboration allows them to to reach a double competence indispensable to propose companies strategic, creative and especially effective advertising supports.
