Advertising and Its Influence on Popular Media From 1900 - 2000
Date originally created: February 20, 2003
The history of
advertising from the early 1900’s to the year 2000 is a fascinating journey of
evolution and transformation that mirrors the rise of popular media itself. Over
the last century, advertising has not only been a vehicle for selling products
but also a powerful force that shaped and reflected social trends, cultural
values, and technological advancements. This essay explores the history of
advertising over these years and how it profoundly influenced various forms of
popular media, from newspapers and radio, to television, and eventually the
Internet.
Advertising in Print Media (1900-1930s)
In the early 20th century print media (newspapers and magazines) was the
dominant form of mass communication, and advertising in these publications was
essential for funding. By 1900, newspapers had established dedicated sections
for advertisements, with colorful illustrations and striking headlines. Popular
brands, such as Coca-Cola and Pears Soap, became early examples of brands
leveraging catchy slogans and attractive visuals to appeal to consumers.
Coca-Cola’s “Delicious and Refreshing” slogan appeared in numerous
newspapers, cementing the brand’s identity and popularity in American culture.
As print advertising grew, so did its influence on the press. Some newspapers
even tailored their editorial content to align with advertisers’ interests,
marking an early intersection of media and advertising. In magazines like The
Saturday Evening Post and Ladies' Home Journal, full-page ads became common,
with companies like Ford Motor Company and Procter & Gamble capitalizing on
the broad readership to sell their products. This era established the symbiotic
relationship between advertising and popular media, a trend that would only grow
as time went on with radio and television.
The Golden Age of Radio Advertising (1920s-1950s)
Radio emerged as the next major mass media in the 1920s, bringing audio
advertisements directly into homes. In the 1920s and 1930s, radio became a
primary source of entertainment and news, with a broad audience spanning
different demographics. Advertisers quickly seized this new medium to reach
listeners, and brands sponsored entire programs, such as soap operas. For
example, Procter & Gamble sponsored daytime drama shows, effectively
creating the "soap opera" genre, named after the soap products they
advertised.
The power of radio advertising was undeniable. In 1938, for example, Orson
Welles’s “War of the Worlds” broadcast famously demonstrated radio’s
immersive impact. This broadcast
was a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells novel “War of the Worlds”, and occurred
on October 30, 1938 as part of a Halloween broadcast of the radio show Mercury
Theatre on the Air. This
broadcast caused mass panic by convincing some listeners that an alien invasion
was currently taking place. The
incident underscored radio's influence over public perception. Due to radio’s
reach into family homes, companies recognized radio’s reach and sponsored
programs like the “Lucky Strike Hour” and the “Camel Caravan” to create
brand association with entertainment. By sponsoring radio shows, advertisers
influenced the content that listeners consumed, setting the foundation for a new
era of marketing-integrated media.
Television and the Rise of Commercials (1950s-1970s)
The advent of television in the 1950s revolutionized advertising once again.
With visual and audio elements, television ads became the most effective way to
reach a mass audience. The influence of advertising on television was immediate
and profound. Programs like “The Texaco Star Theater,” hosted by Milton
Berle, were sponsored by specific brands, and companies like Colgate and Ford
soon followed, sponsoring prime-time shows. Television commercials introduced
the concept of the “jingle,” a catchy and memorable slogan set to music,
which became a staple of advertising. Iconic jingles such as “You’ll wonder
where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent!” became
ingrained in American culture.
The 1960s saw the explosion of product-focused advertising campaigns, especially
with the development of color television. The Marlboro Man campaign by Marlboro
cigarettes, for example, created an image of rugged masculinity that resonated
with viewers and became one of the most iconic advertising campaigns of the 20th
century. Marlboro’s use of television commercials solidified the brand’s
identity, showing how deeply ads could influence both media and social ideals.
Another famous
example of advertising on television was Winston Cigarettes being advertised in
the Beverly Hillbillies, where the main characters of the show were shown
smoking the cigarettes and reading the jingle “Winston tastes good like a
cigarette should”. Winston also
advertised their cigarettes at the end of each episode of the Flinstones, with
Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Betty all smoking them and saying the jingle as the
Beverly Hillbillies did. This
caused controversy however due to the perception that cigarettes were being
advertised at children, and The Flinstones stopped advertising Winston
Cigarettes during the second season of the show.
The Evolution of Advertising in the Television Age (1970s-1990s)
The 1970s and 1980s were characterized by high-budget TV commercials that
mirrored Hollywood production values. One example of this was the “Pepsi
Generation” commercial from 1984 featuring Michael Jackson.
Directed by Bob Giraldi, this commercial was famous for being filmed
similar to a music video, with the middle and end of the commercial being sung
by Michael Jackson himself. Another example is Apple’s “1984” Super Bowl
commercial, directed by Ridley Scott. This
commercial presents Apple’s Macintosh computer as a symbol of rebellion and
innovation. The commercial aired only once but made an enormous impact,
establishing the Super Bowl as a premier platform for influential
advertisements.
The influence of advertising on popular media in this era became increasingly
evident as commercials became cultural events in their own right. In addition to
the “Pepsi Generation” commercial mentioned above, Coca-Cola’s “I’d
Like to Buy the World a Coke” and Nike’s “Just Do It” campaigns captured
public imagination and were frequently discussed in popular media, with
advertisements often driving as much conversation as the television shows they
appeared between.
The expansion of cable television in the 1980s introduced niche programming,
enabling advertisers to target specific audiences more effectively. Networks
like MTV catered to younger audiences, and advertisers adapted their approach to
appeal to youth culture. In 1981, MTV’s launch of 24-hour music video
programming created a new form of advertising: music videos themselves became
promotional tools for artists, labels, and sponsors.
Advertising on Computers (1990s-2000)
As the 1990s progressed, computers and the Internet introduced a new advertising
frontier. Early online ads were basic banner ads that appeared on websites, but
they marked the beginning of digital marketing as we know it today. Brands like
AT&T ran some of the first banner ads on platforms like HotWired in 1994,
signaling the Internet’s potential as an advertising platform. Internet ads
allowed for more targeted advertising, with advertisements for products
appearing on websites and forums they were related to.
An example of this was the online Internet service provider Prodigy
displaying advertisements for Sears at the bottom of their webpages. Even
operating systems are not immune to advertising.
For example, Windows 98 and Windows ME come with several online service
provider shortcut links installed by default, marketing themselves as an easy
option to get connected to the Internet. As
we spend more and more time online, I predict advertising on the Internet will
become the dominant form of marketing, outpacing both radio and television in
the future.
Conclusion
Over the 20th century, advertising transformed from simple print ads to
sophisticated, multimedia campaigns that profoundly influenced popular media.
From radio soap operas to Super Bowl commercials, advertising not only
sold products but also mirrored and shaped cultural values and trends. As media
evolved, advertising adapted, influencing every stage of media history and
creating a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of the modern world.