Signs

Signs - Signs for home and business

One of the first known methods of advertising was the 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. In the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century), the use of so-called town criers developed. The criers were citizens who read public notices aloud and were also employed by merchants to shout the praises of their wares. Printed advertising made little headway until the invention of the movable-type printing press in Europe about 1440. The trademark dates from about the 16th century, when tradespeople and guild members posted characteristic symbols outside their shops.
In the early stages of American advertising, direct advertising was most effective, because the nation lacked transcontinental transportation, distribution, and communications systems. The pioneers in this field were seed companies and book and pamphlet publishers. Mail-order houses appeared on the scene as early as the 1870s. Railroads and steamship lines also were among the early users of advertising in the United States, not only to praise the luxury and comfort of their modes of travel but also to publish their schedules and rates.
Late in the 19th century many American firms began to market packaged goods under brand names. Previously, such everyday household products as sugar, soap, rice, and molasses had been sold in neighborhood stores from large bulk containers. As a result, consumers had seldom been aware of, or influenced by, brand names. Soapmakers were early advertisers of packaged and branded products. The first "household name" soap brands, which date from about 1880, include Ivory, Pears', Sapolio, Colgate, Kirk's American Family, and Packer's. Shortly after the turn of the century, Americans began to be aware of such brand names as Bon Ami, Wrigley, and Coca-Cola.
After World War I (1914-1918), advertising developed into a business so big that it became almost a trademark of America itself in the eyes of the world. The increased use of electricity led to the illuminated outdoor poster; photoengraving and other modern printing inventions helped both the editorial and advertising departments of printed journals. The advent of radio in the 1920s stimulated a whole new technique of selling by voice. The most significant development after World War II (1939-1945) was television, a medium that forced the advertising industry to better its techniques of selling by the use of visual devices as well as by voice.