Brand marketing & advertising is in everything we do, and uniquely all around us, in ways we don’t even realize. After all, marketing is the key to successful business and consumerism. But do you ever wonder where it all started? I’m not talking about new marketing strategies and methods that came about in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s. I’m talking about the ancient marketplace – ancient BC civilizations that began branding as a simple way of depicting ownership or signifying the origin of goods and products. When we look at the Silk Road as one of the starting points for the birth of merchant capitalism, we can understand that many “brands” were passing through via traders and explorers from China to Europe and the Middle East. Though this trade market was based mostly on all things silk, we cannot begin to fully understand the extent of the entirety of goods and exports that may have passed along the Silk Road, branded, and marketed to other traders of the time.
Strategically located trading posts and markets were designed for the transportation, exchange, and distribution of goods. One could say that seeds for the industrial revolution of capitalism and authentic marketing were planted here. Thousands of years ago, vendors would attend trade fairs where they would pitch their goods and services through unique displays. When paper was invented, along with block printing, the marketing avenues for which one could brand themselves through beautiful artistic glyphs were limitless. Branding came about through symbolism and pictures because much of the population at the time was illiterate; unable to read basic text, thus allowing the hanging of pictorial signage and painted storefronts. The reason we see beautiful art and symbols on ancient walls wasn’t for the mere beauty, but rather the strategic advertising that went behind it.
As time progressed, advertising methods only enhanced as social classes became more defined, and a need for writing and reading became more prevalent amongst classes who could afford more goods. This kind of representation through written text became more frequent at the start of the 15th century, though the text still had to be copied by hand, while a gap in the market for mass-produced books fueled the experimentation of different printing methods that would ultimately change the marketing industry for life. After typesetting technologies fueled the creation of the printing press, literature was now able to be spread to the masses, distributing printed information, allowing advertising to become a popular and effective way to promote various products, goods, and services.
Even though much of the advertising for this time was repeated text and sentences, these simple messages became the precursors to modern-day advertising slogans and taglines. Soon after, patent, trademark, and copyright laws would come into play, and this would inevitably change not just the industry, but the entire world. It’s easy for us to downplay much of what we see in our day-to-day life, but as you become aware of subliminal and obvious marketing techniques all around you, you can begin to understand and appreciate the evolution of advertising and the role it plays in our society today.
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