Our first destination on this world tour of advertising is, of course, home. The United States is known for its enormous consumer market, and with products, come advertisements. In its earliest forms, advertisements were used to relay political campaigns, along with the more traditional purpose of displaying the latest and greatest goods. The US though, capitalized the usage of this industry so much so, that life seems almost unimaginable without it.
A brief history:
It all began in the 1700s, with the publishing of Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette in Philadelphia. You could say that Philadelphia was the original "advertising city" so to speak, because in 1874, Volney Palmer opened the first ad agency there. By the end of the 19th century, advertising had spread from Chicago to New York City, spanning from magazines, to newspapers, to retailers.
Photo Credit: Readex blog
In 1904, the Associated Advertising Clubs of America is formed, demonstrating the growing popularity of the industry. The ever present Kellogg's brand introduced its advertisement for Corn Flakes, along with the introduction of on air advertising through radio broadcasts in the mid-1920s. In the 1940s, advertising takes a patriotic stance, by forming the War Advertising Council, in an effort to support the war. Shortly after, the industry reaches another historical moment, when CBS launches its television station, bringing advertising to screens and homes across the country.
Photo Credit: CBS News
By the end of the 20th century, advertising had become engrained into the American lifestyle. The industry covered everything under the sun: sports, food, refreshments, war, magazines, newspapers, and the list goes on. In the 21st century, advertising entered the world of internet, making it accessible to truly every person in the world, and allowing for them to create their own forms of ads as well.
You can view a more thorough recap of the history of American advertising here, the site where all of this wonderful and historical information came from.
Some current examples of American advertisements:
As I have previously mentioned, advertising in the 21st century is hardly discreet. It is much easier to see advertisements than to avoid them, as they are truly everywhere. Although one can grow tired of it, there are several ad campaigns that make you take a second look and actually enjoy what you are seeing. These are the ads I would like to focus on throughout my world tour.
The first one I would like to show is a Procter & Gamble ad in lieu of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is called the 'Best Job,' dedicated to the mothers of the olympic athletes, for all they have done for their children. I remember when I first saw the ad, it immediately grabbed my attention because it was unlike any other ones I was watching on TV. It has been listed as one of the best ads of 2012, and I could not agree more.
Photo Credit: Mediapost.com
The second ad is extremely relevant right now. It is called 'Show your pride. Share your love' and it is an ad campaign through Youtube, supporting same sex love and marriage. I found this ad quite moving, and although I understand that it is still a controversial subject, I think it is an important message and should be shared. The way the ad is directed is wonderful, as it shows real people coming out to their loved ones, along with images of same sex proposals. I think it is an extremely well done ad, and gets a beautiful message across to its viewers.
Photo Credit: The Daily Beast
This last ad campaign is much less serious than the first two, but I happen to think it is quite funny which is why I am including it. AT&T has introduced a new campaign this past year of "It's not complicated," and they have a stereotypical business man ask children a variety of questions, to which the kids answer candidly. The campaign is genius, in my opinion, because it plays to what people enjoy, which is comedy and the innocent bluntness of children. Here are a couple of them:
1. More
2. Grandma
3. Bigger is Better
Let me know what you think of all of these, I'd love to hear some feedback.
That is all for today! I hope you enjoyed my glimpse into American advertising, I will connect other countries to American ads, so this is not the last of them. Until next time!
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