This will be a three-part series about Marketing. At Making Straight Paths we’re serious about marketing because we know that without it people cannot connect with the goods and services that they need. Marketing helps the public begin to know, like, and trust a good or service. Marketing is also about psychology. Needs and wants converge with layers of emotional and psychological influences that cause a person to take action and make a purchase. And hopefully, by the end of this series, you will be more aware and strategic on how to help your future customers or clients take that same action.
One definition of marketing is the activities a company undertakes to promote the buying or selling of a product or service. But my favorite definition is from The New York Times which describes marketing as "the art of telling stories so enthralling that people lose track of their wallets.” Telling great narratives is what great marketing is all about. Using relevant and interesting visual and/or audio means can make a consumer purchase something they may or may not even need. I’ve been guilty of craving a burger after seeing one in a commercial. And if the story is effective enough, a consumer may purchase something just for the experience. We’ll focus on the New York Times definition as we review the history of Marketing. As a history major, I love learning about the origin of ideas and concepts. I believe history gives us perspective and insight while grounding us and showing us how much further we have to go. The history of Marketing is quite interesting and the future is bright and full of opportunities to specifically and effectively reach your target audience. Let’s dive in!
The study of the history of Marketing is divided into two camps, the history of marketing practice and the history of marketing thought:
the history of marketing practice refers to an investigation into the ways that marketing has been practiced, and how those practices have evolved over time as they respond to changing socio-economic conditions
the history of marketing thought refers to an examination of the ways that marketing has been studied and taught
For the purposes of this blog post, we’ll be focusing on the history of marketing practice and how that has evolved through the influence of communication and global socio-economic changes. Below is my summation of the history of Marketing with date ranges, examples, and sources.
History of Marketing Timeline:
Pre-historic - 10,000 BCE - Oral Communication = Oral Marketing - Example, “The God of our people is Great!”
10,000 BCE - 476 AD - With obelisks, temples, and cities physical objects were used to communicate extrinsic value, “This empire is Great!”
776 BCE - 1400s AD - Although writing had been invented, accessibility was limited therefore communication was limited to those who had access, “Dear other wealthy people, we’re great!”
1000s - 1400s AD - However, with the invention of the printing press communication was majorly disrupted. Now reading and writing could be widely accessible and therefore marketing became more widespread, “Tom’s Butcher Shop is great!”
1400s - 1800s - With the printing press, newspapers, magazines, and directories became more widespread and the opportunity to communicate and market to the masses grew. “The Sun-Times is great and our readers are great!”
1700s - 1900s - Circuses and Expositions brought the evolution of large scale marketing or billboards to advertise upcoming attractions. “The Greatest Showman on Earth is Coming!”
1900s - Soon advertising firms began to grow and thrive as they created narratives about various brands and used new communication platforms such as movies, radios, and television to connect with more and more people with increased frequency. “This is the Greatest Product! If you buy it you too are great!”
Late 1990s - Early 2000s - However, the invention and democratization of the world wide web ultimately led to the greatest communication revolution the world has ever seen. Websites and emails were the new communication platforms and therefore new marketing platforms. Advertising (banner ads, pop-ups, search engine advertising) took new forms as users (and user data) became more niched and access became more direct. “Hey, we saw that you are on Asparagus lovers.com, we want you to know that we have the best asparagus in the United States!”
Late 1990s - Present - Immediately after the advent of the internet came the human desire for connection and the birth of social media. Even more niched or focused marketing was created built exclusively on information shared by users with each platform. The widespread access to mobile devices culminated in a combination of the previous evolutions of mass communications (radio, tv, telephones, etc.) with the niche-focused approach of web/email marketing and social media marketing. Mobile Marketing removes the restrictions of your audience not being able to see your ad or pitch and now allows you to have 24-hour access to them via the devices that they engage with. Further, with geo-tagging you can run targeted advertising relevant to their exact location or region. Unfortunately, 24-hour access does not mean 24-hour engagement…
For an additional visual of the above time periods and advancements see “The History of Marketing: An Exhaustive Timeline,” from Hubspot.
As marketing has evolved the job of a marketer has become more and more challenging and data-driven. One can no longer set it and forget it with their marketing campaign because consistent adjustment and review of engagement is needed. Especially with the increase of societal changes being responsive to the needs of your audience will make sure your marketing efforts are not only seen but even galvanizing brand loyalty because of its timeliness and relevance. Our next blog post will address the different types of modern marketing available and how they are used so you can know all of the tools available.
