tp_historical_advertising

**Historical advertising**

Since the 1840s, shopkeepers have used window displays, painted signs and goods on the footpath for sale, to characterise their business and advertise their products. Pamphlets (or handbills, as they were originally called) were handed out in the streets. This was called ‘bill sniping’. Advertisements were put on the footpaths (by painting or stencilling) and this was called ‘screeving’. People stood outside businesses inviting and encouraging customers to come inside and buy their products. This is commonly known as spruiking. Other forms of advertising are posters outside theatres (which advertised the latest shows), and other businesses placed posters and banners on poles, buildings and construction site barriers. This is known as ‘hoardings’.

Most of these forms of advertising still occur today except for spruiking which has become illegal in some circumstances. Some of these have been evolved as well. In 1860, Bill Sticking Co. built fences and buildings to advertise their business. By 1875, three companies identified themselves as Bill Posters. They rented out hoardings which were rented out to advertisers. Bill-posting companies paid large amounts of money to put the hoardings at train stations and in the carriages. Now advertising appears on public transport, and at their stops.

In 1854, Gordon and Gotch became the first advertising company in history. Most of the advertisements were in newspapers however other forms were popular such as out door advertising, pamphlets, stunts and gimmicks (a performance to attract attention). The newspaper began selling space to insert advertisements. The first agency in Melbourne to do this was Hugh Paton’s Advertising Service in 1904. Radio advertising started in the 1930s.

As cars became increasingly popular as time went on, more advertisements were placed near intersections and next to main roads. Mobile billboards (advertising on the side of cars and trucks etc.) also started to travel down the roads. In the 1910s, advertisers began to use electricity so their advertisements could be seen at night. Some of the neon signs are now seen as iconic landmarks.

In 1896 a sign fell and caused a fatal accident at Flinders Street. This fatality started debates about the unattractive appearance of advertisements and the urban nuisance. In 1914, the Legislative Assembly suggested that hoardings should be banned, however the Melbourne City Council agreed to them. Between the 1960s-1970s State Parliament became stricter in the regulations for outdoor advertisements. In 1987, it became illegal to advertise tobacco outdoors.

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