How did it all start? A story is told that marketing began in the dusty roads of Pompeii which was an ancient Roman city. There was an engraved male structure that was strategically carved to point the way to the most popular brothels in the area. This could probably be the oldest advertisement in the world for the oldest profession in the world. The structure was destroyed along with the entire city of Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted on 24th August AD79. As much as this story is interesting this is not where the first advertisement started from. According to archeologists, relics have been unearthed in ancient Egypt, Greece, China, Arabia and Rome. The Egyptians used papyrus to create posters and flyers. They used the posters to announce missing slaves.
In ancient Rome and Pompeii they would often announce circus and gladiatorial events for the public to come and watch. The first announcement was by word of mouth, which paved the way for cave wall images which are still testament to date. According to business historians, marketing as a discipline was born around the 1950s and we have continued to see how marketing has continued to transform the business world to date. This transformation was enhanced with the development of the printing press. Alas! Marketers could now reach a wider audience in a more cost-effective way. In the early 17th century the newspaper was born and advertisements soon appeared on them. This was replicated all over the known world.
The coming of the newspaper soon paved way to the mail order advertising which would evolve into a direct mail response industry. Consequently, radio advertising was born which soon gave way to the television. Combining the visual and hearing senses revolutionized the advertising industry in epic proportions. This soon paved way for the internet- the new kid on the block. The internet has become a valuable communication tool that has united and woven the world into one big blanket. This has given rise to the era of digital/internet marketing. All the earlier inventions have culminated to the tool that we have today called the internet. Just maybe, a new platform is being formed in the womb of the human mind and it will soon spring forth to complement what we have today.
There is one assurance that continues in the business circles; companies that do not market their products do not survive for very long. People have to know who you are and what your product is about without this communication; customers are left un-knowledgeable about your products or services no matter how enticing the packaging might be. Customers will always base their decisions on what they know and products that have been tested and tried and as a result these customers develop emotional connections with the product or service.
Carolyne Mwangi is an professional in the field of internet marketing. I have been practicing marketing for seven years and my articles are geared towards educating and informing readers on various online marketing components that once practiced will go a long way towards increasing their income online.
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