Advantages Of Media
Marketing Advantages of the Media
Advertising has been around for centuries in some form or another, but with the advantages of media, it is easier and more economical than ever before for manufacturers and service providers to get their message to the general public.
Marketing began with the onset of the industrial revolution in the early 1800’s. Before that time, there was little surplus of merchandise to market, and people lived too far apart for any type of effective marketing to take place. Traveling salesman, or peddlers, made their way through the colonial Americas with a variety of goods ranging from pins to clothing items. It was a hard life; traveling for many miles in diverse weather conditions before encountering a likely prospect. These were the days of self-sufficiency; homesteaders made their own clothes, raised their own meat, constructed their own buildings and grew their own foods. In the mid 1800’s as the industrial revolution began to rise, more products became available and storefronts began to emerge as towns formed. Homesteaders were able to acquire the goods they needed when they wished, and could even order items the general store did not keep on hand. As sales grew, so did the competition of those providing the goods and services. In order to realize high volume sales, companies realized they needed to make their products stand out from all others. Advertising and marketing began in full force.
The media available in these early days was rudimentary, mainly consisting of the written word. Newspapers, magazines, signboards and banners were utilized and worked well initially. The first mail order catalog emerged in 1872 when Aaron Montgomery Ward printed a single page product list along with prices and ordering instructions. The advantages of media began to take form with this humble beginning, as people would pore over the increasingly expanding catalogs to obtain merchandise otherwise unattainable.
Written advertisements enjoyed their success until the early 1900’s when the powerful reach of the radio was discovered. Although the radio had been around for some time, its commercial use as a marketing tool was not allowed until the 1920’s when it was seen as a means of supporting expensive radio operations. During the “Golden Age” of radio, families gathered around the home radio to hear updates of world happenings, enjoy musical shows and to hear ongoing sagas of radio programming; all of which were largely sponsored by advertisers who began and ending the programs with information about their products.
The introduction of television provided even more advantages of media reach. Radio made great advancements in the marketing arena, but one drawback was the inability to see the product. Television brought even more information by adding the visual appeal to marketing spots. From the early 1950’s to current day, the percentage of commercials to television programming has doubled. A hidden marketing tool is that of exposing a product within a television program; car models being driven the show’s star, foods being eaten and drinks being consumed by the cast members. Cigarettes were similarly marketed until the dangers and risks of smoking eliminated this subliminal marketing.
Advertising has expanded now into the advancing arena of the internet. Most servers, informational blurbs and blogs on the internet are infiltrated with marketing messages designed to capture the attention of the user. Internet advertising is an effective means of expanding the manufacturer’s message at a low cost while extending their reach around the world.
The advantages of media in the world of advertising are innumerable. As new technology is introduced, a method of utilizing that arena to market products and services is discovered. While there is no way of knowing what may yet emerge in the field of technology, it is a sure bet that marketing will be part of its growth.