Ancient civilizations utilized early forms of advertising. Egyptians used papyrus for sales messages and posters, while commercial messages and political displays were found in Pompeii and ancient Arabia. In ancient China, advertising appeared in the Classic of Poetry (11th to 7th centuries BC) with bamboo flutes used to sell confectionery, and a copper printing plate from the Song dynasty featured an advertisement for a needle shop. In Europe, as towns grew in the Middle Ages, images were used in place of text for those unable to read, depicting trades like cobblers or millers.
By the late 18th century, advertising accounted for a significant portion of newspaper content in England, leading to the inclusion of “advertiser” in newspaper titles. Prior to the 19th century, advertisements primarily featured books or medicines and rarely used images. In the United States, newspapers grew rapidly in the first few decades of the 19th century, fueled in part by advertising, with half the content consisting of local advertisements by 1822. In 1859, British pharmaceutical firm Beechams created the slogan "Beechams Pills: Worth a guinea a box", considered the world’s first advertising slogan. In 1836, La Presse in France became the first newspaper to include paid advertising, lowering its price and increasing readership.
Volney B. Palmer established the roots of the modern advertising agency in Philadelphia around 1840, buying newspaper space at a discount and reselling it at a higher rate. N.W. Ayer & Son, founded in 1869, became the first full-service agency, offering planning, creation, and implementation of complete advertising campaigns. Around the same time, Charles-Louis Havas extended his news agency's services to include advertisement brokerage in France.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the rise of modern advertising, driven by industrialization. Thomas J. Barratt, working for Pears soap, has been called "the father of modern advertising", employing targeted slogans, images, and phrases. In 1882, he recruited actress Lillie Langtry as the first celebrity to endorse a commercial product. Barratt stressed the importance of a strong brand image and emphasized the need to constantly reevaluate the market for changing tastes, stating in 1907 that “tastes change, fashions change, and the advertiser has to change with them.” Huntley & Palmers biscuits, sold in 172 countries in 1900, were among the first global brands, reflected in their advertisements.
Advertising increased dramatically in the United States following massive industrialization. In 1919, advertising expenditure was 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, became associated with the method of appealing to unconscious desires to drive purchases, claiming that “[t]he general principle, that men are very largely actuated by motives which they conceal from themselves, is as true of mass as of individual psychology.” Tobacco companies pioneered new techniques by hiring Bernays to create positive associations with smoking.
In the 1920s, the American government promoted advertising, with Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover calling it “a vital force in our national life.” In 1929, the head of the U.S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce stated “Advertising is the key to world prosperity.” Radio emerged as a new medium in the 1920s, with advertisers using slogans, mascots, and jingles. By the 1930s, radio stations sold advertising spots in small time allocations to multiple businesses. The 1950s saw the introduction of commercial television, with DuMont Television Network pioneering the practice of selling advertisement time to multiple sponsors.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the introduction of cable television and MTV, ushering in a new type of advertising where consumers tuned in for the message. With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, online advertising grew, and Google launched AdWords in 2000, allowing advertisers to bid for placement in search results. The rise of mobile phones in the late 1990s and early 2000s led to the development of mobile advertising.
Advertising can be categorized by style, target audience, geographic scope, medium, or purpose. Advertising involving mass media is known as "above the line" (ATL), while more targeted forms are "below the line" (BTL). A newer term, "through the line" (TTL), refers to integrated campaigns.
Advertising utilizes a wide range of media, including wall paintings, billboards, radio, cinema, television, web banners, and print ads. The annual Super Bowl football game is known as a prominent advertising event, with a thirty-second ad costing US$8 million in 2025.
Advanced advertising utilizes data and precise targeting. Online advertising, beginning with unsolicited bulk e-mail in 1978, has grown with the internet, and now includes search engine advertising, display ads, and social media advertising. In 2024, global social media advertising spend was expected to be $247 billion.