“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.”
–David Ogilvy
Advertising was an enticing concept even centuries ago, as it is in the modern world today. It mirrors culture and helps design it as well. The manner of promoting products and services have gotten far more advanced with the changing times. Many might be unaware of the fact that centuries ago, advertising was achieved via sales messages that were scribbled on papyrus and wall posters! Some of these can still be seen in Egypt and among the ruins of Pompeii and Arabia. In ancient China, the earliest form of advertising was oral; for instance, bamboo flutes were played to sell candy! Remarkable, isn’t it?
The era of modern advertising came into being when the advent of newspapers and magazines emerged from the 16th century onwards. Almost since the onset, the print medium carried advertising to defray the cost of printing and distribution. The subscription fee from the readers simply fail to cover the cost of publishing a newspaper. Although, having advertisements featured on the pages enabled the publishers to continue charging a minimal fee and utilizing the revenue earned via advertisements to cover costs. A rather ingenious idea, I might add!
In the year of 1729, The Gazette by Benjamin Franklin, which was the most prominent newspaper in USA at that time, included multiple advertisements. These ads were for wines, books, chocolates, ships and other wares; The Gazette came to be known as the true beginning of advertising in that country. A couple decades later, the term ‘Father of Indian Press’ was coined for an individual who pioneered the beginning of print media in India. James Hickey published the Bengal Gazette or also known as the Calcutta General Advertise. This was the first newspaper in India to publish ‘classified advertisements’ in print. The 19th century came along with a lot in store; the warm June of 1836 saw a newspaper include the first paid advertising in its pages. Emile de Girardin, the editor of the French newspaper La Presse, took this bold step to rely on paid advertising to lower its price and extend readership along with profitability. The heavy dependence on advertising as the primary source of revenue was a main reason that La Presse could sell newspapers at a lower price; on the other hand, other publishers relied greatly on daily sales and subscriptions.
Perhaps the most detectable and impressive trend towards the last few decades of the 19th century was simply the raw growth of advertising. Not just that, rather the utilisation of print advertising to introduce new products, create demand and mould the tastes of the customers. By the end of the century, regional campaigns had been overtaken by and large by national advertising campaigns.
As the years went by, print advertisements kept evolving. Ads consisting majorly of content were deemed rather dull. Thus visuals is what became most important when it came to print ads. In the 20th century, the print advertisements began to depend entirely on imagery instead of copy! With time, readers saw less and less of copy and better usage of negative space. The mid-seventies saw the extensive use of bright photographic images paired with a large headline and body copy; it seemed to attract the customers alright! Looking at the print advertisements from decades ago, we can draw a conclusion that a trend can be seen; they focused on good content, clear pricing and of course, visually appealing illustrations! It is what made these advertisements an absolute hit!
As we can see, advertising in print media has proven to be fruitful since the last 100 years. But in the 21st century, there is a lingering question that has been on all our minds; will print go obsolete? If it does, the advertisements go too, ones that have clearly worked for businesses since generations. In the foreseeable future of at least 5 years, newspapers and magazines have a steady revenue; but what about after that? Does print media need to evolve itself to survive in this cutthroat world of newly emerging communication vehicles? But then again, evolving itself would mean being in cahoots with the digital world and finding the right parity between print ads and digital advertising. Glossy magazines and major publications may still hold a major chuck of the population but the digital landscape seems to be growing at a speedy rate. Would the ROI today still be the same as years ago if people invest their resources in publishing print ads in this day and age? While print advertising may not be completely defunct just yet, its future seems to hang in the balance.
-Natasha Bhatia || PGP BM&MC
natasha.bhatia@northpointindia.com
Liked the article? This was just a taste. Read interesting articles like this one and more on our monthly newsletter, The Fourth Estate!
Click here to read the March issue -> http://online.fliphtml5.com/vxbxe/jlfe/