Advertising of 1890 compared to 1990
A detailed Summary of Advertising of 1890 compared to 1990
Modern advertising really began in the middle of the century. World War II had taught Americans plenty about propaganda and new technologies had erupted, offering both increased production and more ways to propagate a media message. They combined to create the modern ad. In addition to stating the facts somewhere in the fine print, advertisers began to lace their ads with ideas designed to appeal to the senses of the reader, as well as the deeper, more emotional self interests of love, sex, anxiety, fear, alarm, ambition, envy, indulgence and especially vanity. And to discover which appeal would work best, advertisers began to develop more and better research techniques -- and act upon the results. Someday, they'd call it "target marketing," but for now, they were content with being able to select the right message to transmit and then aim it at the right receiver in the market.
What sounds obvious now was in fact not recognized in the 19th century. Advertising was a print medium at first, and primarily followed the basic rules of decorum and factual reporting of the journalism of the day. Thus, a Sears And Roebuck catalogue from the 19th century offered Underwear For Fat Men with a line drawing a hefty, older fellow with a

Sears & Roebuck. Sears And Roebuck Catalog. Chicago, IL: Sears & Roebuck, 1879.
Bills, or bulletins, are also still common in the 1990s. Most urban centers have huge sections of walls and public space taken over by row after row of bills, huge print ads. In these days of media saturation, it is not surprising to see many layers of bulletins atop a wall or on a construction site. Bulletins were started in the 1890s as well. ARagged bills hawking everything from Tutts Pills and St. Jacob=s Oil to Battle Ax Plug, Hood=s Sasparilla, and Official Five Cent Cigars fluttered from every fence, lamppost and curb.@ (Starr and Hayman, p. 25). In both centuries, bulletins are most often Asniped@ or posted up without the permission of property owners.
Frank, Thomas. The Conquest of Cool : Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1998.
Starr, Tama and Hayman, Edward. Signs And Wonders: The Spectacular Marketing Of America. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Las Vegas, Sears Roebuck, War II, Starr Hayman, Underwear Fat, Cent Cigars, 19th century, sears roebuck, , York Doubleday, Chicago Press, sears roebuck 1879, print ads, line drawings, roebuck 1879, advertising 1890s, 1890s 1990s, culture counterculture, advertising 1890s 1990s, print advertising, target marketing,
Approximate Word count = 948
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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