The History of Creative Advertising

Advertising is a part of modern culture. As an effective discourse, advertising signifies certain ideals and values, shaping and changing the way we perceive and understand the social world. The real and sometimes surreal effects of advertising challenge the way we identify our social environments including the family, work, and even international relations. With historical roots tracing back at least 150 years, the creative world of advertising has gone through many changes. Design and technological qualities have arguably improved while, more specifically, advertising has become a unique form and forum of communication. To communicate an idea goes beyond the graphic nature of the advertisement. Instead, meaning stems from a complicated relationship between cultural ideals, international affairs, business marketing strategies, and a fluctuating understanding of the self. This course will locate the developmental and creative aspects of advertising within a historical context. Focus will be placed on how advertising has developed in and for different markets. Students will be introduced to a variety of social factors that influence and even create various advertising campaigns. The relationship between the consumer and advertiser will be explained in terms of an ongoing creative process that is influenced by marketing agendas, consumer behaviour, world events, political agendas, and consumption patterns and identities. Advertising is a part of modern culture as it not only represents and documents history, it creates historical impressions that can be equally as influential as the cultural events themselves. Advertising is culture.