From Town Criers to Television… The first two ages of advertising.

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1. THE FIRST AGE:

A. Oral and Early Print Communication

In ancient societies, commerce was local and relational. Advertising was immediate and personal, shouted, displayed or symbolically marked. And we can see relics of these in our buses when vendors physically advertise their wares, especially all-purpose medications. 

The invention of the printing press in 1440 marked a structural shift. For the first time, commercial messages could be reproduced and distributed beyond immediate geography. Early newspapers began carrying advertisements for goods, services and announcements. The printing press did not merely improve communication. It altered economic organisation. It allowed producers to reach dispersed audiences. It introduced the idea of repeatable messaging.

Advertising began to detach from physical proximity.

B. The Industrial Revolution Period: Scale Changes Everything

The 18th and 19th centuries transformed advertising fundamentally. Mass production created surplus goods. Surplus required demand stimulation. Demand required persuasion at scale. The Industrial Revolution therefore birthed modern advertising.

Manufacturers needed to differentiate their products in crowded markets. Branding emerged as a strategy. Packaging, logos and repeatable slogans became tools of recognition. Advertising agencies began to formalise their roles. Media buying, copywriting and campaign planning evolved into specialised disciplines.

Advertising shifted from simple announcement to strategic persuasion. The relationship between production and promotion became institutional.

2. THE SECOND AGE:

A. Mass Media and National Influence

The 20th century ushered in what might be called the second great age of Advertising: the era of mass media. Radio and television transformed the reach and emotional power of Advertising. Brands could now enter homes. They could speak, sing and dramatize. National campaigns became possible. Cultural moments could be shaped collectively.

Madison Avenue in New York became symbolic of this professionalization. Agencies expanded in size and influence. Psychological insight entered Advertising practice. Figures such as Edward Bernays introduced behavioural and perceptual techniques that went beyond simple product description. Advertising became less about product features and more about identity and aspiration.

Brands no longer competed only on function. They competed on narrative.

B. The Rise of Brand Ideology

By the late 20th century, Advertising had matured into a tool of ideological positioning. Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign in 1988 is illustrative. It did not describe shoe construction. It communicated determination, self-belief and achievement. It transcended product categorization.

Advertising had moved from selling goods to selling meaning, and this period reinforced the idea that:

• Brands could become cultural symbols.
• Campaigns could influence language, behaviour and collective consciousness.

The television era was especially powerful because it combined scale with emotional storytelling. And it unified audiences.

The 4 Core Purposes of Advertising… And why misunderstanding them is costly

THE AFRICAN CONTEXT WITHIN THESE AGES

While the industrial and mass media revolutions were largely centred in Europe and North America, Africa experienced these shifts within its own historical framework.

During the colonial period, Advertising in many African territories was dominated by expatriate businesses, like the United Africa Company (UAC) (which metamorphosed from the Royal Niger Company (founded by George Goldie) and the African and Eastern Trade Corporation, which propelled the advent of Advertising through its wooden billboards. Messaging promoted imported goods and often reflected foreign values. Post-independence, however, indigenous media began to expand. Newspapers, radio stations and eventually television networks grew in reach. Advertising gradually localised.

In Nigeria, the growth of national broadcasting institutions created platforms for domestic brands. Indigenous agencies emerged. Advertising became part of economic assertion and cultural self-expression. The evolution mirrored broader political and economic transitions. Advertising did not exist in isolation from national development. It moved alongside it.

WHY THESE AGES STILL MATTER

Understanding these first two ages of advertising is not an exercise in nostalgia. Each stage introduced structural changes that still shape contemporary practice:

1. The printing press introduced repeatable messaging.
2. The Industrial Revolution introduced scale and brand differentiation.
3. Radio and television introduced emotional storytelling at national reach.
4. Psychological insight introduced behavioural persuasion.

Modern digital advertising builds upon these foundations. It does not erase them. The principles of scale, repetition, emotional resonance and symbolic positioning remain intact, even as platforms evolve.

Let us remember that Advertising did not suddenly appear in the digital era. It progressed through identifiable structural phases, from oral proclamation to industrial persuasion to mass media influence. Each age expanded its reach, refined its techniques and deepened its cultural impact.

To appreciate the present, we must understand these foundations.

THE MARCOM STRATEGIC SERIES is a weekly strategic exploration of marketing communication, brand leadership and digital transformation across Africa by Lolou Akinwunmi