advertising

advertising. From shop and inn signs, street cries, and handbills to commercial television, sports sponsorship, and e-commerce, promoters have long combined information and persuasion to encourage others to avail themselves of goods or services. The introduction of newspapers in the 17th cent. spurred consumerism in the 18th, since column ends were easily filled with advertisements for books, proprietary medicines (with glowing testimonials), public meetings and entertainments. Advertisement tax, introduced on newspapers in 1712, was abolished in 1853 and a golden age came with the return of illustrations, vastly increased expenditure, and the introduction of catchphrases and colour lithography. Over-enthusiasm led to excess, and parliamentary controls were introduced in 1889 (Indecent Advertisement Act).

The ethics and psychology of advertising began to be discussed and techniques studied more seriously. The First World War saw one of the most famous posters of all time—‘Your Country needs YOU’—and from the 1920s, when agencies were introduced, the industry began to put its house in order (Advertisement Regulation Act, 1925). Codes of standards, especially after the Second World War, encouraged greater sobriety, and techniques changed. Hoardings became less used and sandwich-men almost disappeared. The advent of commercial television (1955), followed by radio advertising (1972), proved pervasive. A renewed debate began on the propriety of some forms of advertising, and restrictions were placed upon tobacco promotion in particular. The industry established its own Advertising Standards Authority in 1962. In a free market economy, competitive advertising remains of crucial importance and, with the exception of the British Broadcasting Corporation, supports most of the media.

A. S. Hargreaves