Advertisements have now come a long way. From black-and-white jingle commercials on TV to the short online video ads. Nowadays, we are used to seeing ads everywhere at any time. The social media platforms feature ads made accessible on every mobile device. Advertisements have evolved like no other.
It is now an industry of billions, which helps the brands meet their target audience, helping them create a lasting impression. It is with the help of advertisements that the brands gain popularity and earn a boost. The advertisements make it easier for the brands to project their message to the consumers. For this, the evolution of advertisements was a must and has positively impacted the industry.
It all started with television being the prime medium for commercial ads. Later, slowly, with time, the ads started adapting and changing to suit the new mediums for reaching the audience. Throughout history, there has been a significant personalisation of advertisements as per the Ad Film Makers India. They have highlighted how considering the audience’s choices has made ads highly personalised, increasing its reach.
The medium which had the biggest impact on ad personalisation is the internet. With the advancement of the internet, advertisements have now become more personalised and accessible. The internet has the ability to collect billions of data points on the users, which further leads to its dynamic growth. Hence, online advertising has brought a complete revolution in the world of advertisement.
Let us now look deeper into the evolution of advertisements from printed ads to the current online video advertisements.
The Evolution of Advertisements Over the Years
- The beginning
The first proper printed advertisement was published in 1472. It was by William Caxton, who printed ads for a book and marked the advent of advertisements. Later, in 1892, Sears became the first company to focus on personalised ads via direct mail. They launched a massive direct mail campaign, creating over 8,000 postcards. It was then followed by the Golden Age when TV commercial advertisements took off to the next level.
- The Golden Age
The 1900s marked the Golden Age of advertisement, as it was when radio advertisements came into existence. It was then followed by TV commercials when the Bulova Watch Company first launched their legal commercial. The ad was brief, featuring simple graphics and voiceover. The 1960s to the late 80s marked the period of a surge of big ideas and personalities, hence calling it the Golden Age of advertisements. The brands started building intriguing characters to advertise their products, which kept the audiences hooked. They were targeting and triggering interest amongst the consumers.
The creation of varied characters led to some of the iconic ads over time. The primary purpose of developing characters for the ads was to market and sell the product. It was not until online advertisements came into action that TV commercials were creating game-changing advertisements. The TV commercials were often lengthy and showcased varied plots to target the correct set of audience. It also involved personalisation, further making ads more impactful.
- Online Advertisements
With the surge of digitalisation, the motive of ads witnessed a significant shift from selling to raising brand awareness and problem-solving. There has been a shift in mediums and platforms. The ads featuring online are more crisp and catchy, involving personalisation. Now, the centre of focus has changed from product to consumer. As with the advent of the internet, consumers began to use it for personal reasons. It was then the advertisers took over this opportunity to serve the personal interests of the consumers. Hence, the popularity of digital ads came into being.
- Advertisements via online videos
Even though TV commercials are still significant, it is the online video ads which are more consumed. The audiences are hooked to online platforms all day. With online video ads, the brands get to reach consumers quicker as mobile phones are more accessible than a TV. For this, Advertising Filmmakers in Mumbai are creating highly innovative and crisp online video ads which are quick to grab the attention of the target audience. These ads are well-designed and created using the strategies. It is how brands are reaching their audiences faster than ever before. So, it is the online video ads which are trending in the industry.
Thus, this is the evolution of advertisement over the years. Advertisements are now highly personalised and targeted as they use integrated strategies. It is how advertisements can survive in today’s world of marketing. Even though online ads are currently in focus, TV commercials still hold significance.
