A History of Advertising
We’ve all heard the cliched phrase, “those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it”. I don’t think there will be “doom” if we neglect the history of advertising, but looking back over the past 100 years is helpful to see where we’ve come – and more importantly, where we are going. If you’re a business owner or a key decision maker in a business or organization, I think you’ll find a bit of reminiscing will prove helpful as you think about and plan your communications strategy. So here’s a brief look at the last 100 years of advertising and what it means to you.
Turn of the Century
At the turn of the 20th century, products (brands) were defined mostly by individual features – i.e. what the product “has”. Take the automobile for instance – the car was a relatively new invention at this time, so each added feature was a key brand element. If Ford produced a car that would seat three individuals, Cadillac would produce a car that sat four…more comfortably. Consequently, companies’ advertising strategy focused on promoting the key features of their products.
1920s
By the 1920s, more and more products were hitting the market with the same features, and brands developed into more of what the product “does”. For instance, let’s say there were 10 major types of household sewing machines on the market during this time, all with similar features. But only Singer’s latest model contained every popular stitch technique. So all a housewife needed to do was flip a lever and the desired stitch would be produced on the garment. Companies focused on communicating what the customer could “do” with their products.
1950s
By the 1950s brand strategists were positioning their products around the experience – i.e. what you’ll “feel” by using this particular product. During the 1950s and 1960s, the advertising industry exploded, seen predominately in the boom of Madison Avenue. If you’ve ever read about advertising during this time or have even caught a recent episode of AMC’s Emmy-winning show “Mad Men”, you’ll notice that advertising’s main commodity was “feeling”. Advertising executives sold feelings, not products. It wasn’t that you stayed in a hotel, it was that you stayed in a Hilton hotel. It wasn’t about drinking soda, it was about drinking Coca-Cola. It wasn’t about products, it was about feelings associated with those products.
2000s
This form of branding morphed and evolved, and lasted through the 1990s. By the turn of the millennium, another phenomenon was taking place among consumers – in an information, product, and consumption-soaked world it wasn’t enough to simply “feel”, or offer something different. Consumers began to change their habits and loyalties to brands that they identified with. It was important for brand managers to build identities around brands that spoke to consumers individually. This stage of branding involves more of the brand’s identity – what it “is”.
We are also starting to witness a new phase of branding and advertising – with the emergence of the internet and social media in particular we are aware of a major shift in consumer habits and practice. What once was a one-way conversation between brands and consumers is now a two-way conversation. It’s a shift from a monologue to a dialogue where consumers interact with brands in much more tangible ways. Tools such as blogs allow anyone and everyone to have a voice online, and social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter open up profoundly new channels for brand interaction and conversation. It’s no longer just about what your brand “is” but also how your brand “interacts”.
We’ll use BMW to illustrate this point. For many, a BMW is more than just a car (what it has) that offers certain features (what it does) that looks rich and sophisticated (feelings). For most BMW owners, their car is part of their identity. It’s part of their lives because a BMW is more than just a car, it’s a statement about the owner, and a reflection of their lifestyle. Furthermore, a BMW owner not only finds value in their identity that is made up in owning the car, but they also find value in being a part of a growing community of BMW owners.
What It Means For You
What does this mean in real terms, and why does it matter? Well, if you’re a company, it’s not enough to create a new product. It’s not enough to create a new product that “does” different things. And it’s not even enough to create a new product that evokes certain emotions. Your product will only be successful if you can get your target audience to build an identity around the product that they trust, that matters to their daily life, and that offers experiences where they can interact with the brand.
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