How advertising has developed during the 20th century

Even though we are exposed to advertising more often than ever before in today's digital consumer society, advertising and marketing are nothing new. For as long as there have been people and companies selling their services, there have been ways to market those services. But even though advertising has been around since time immemorial (well, almost), it has not always looked the same. Andreas Lindén, graphic designer at Relativt and known for his pink posters on LinkedIn, takes us on a journey through the development of advertising over the last hundred years.

1900 – function

Just over 100 years ago, advertising served a purely informative purpose. By reading the advertisement, you would learn everything you needed to know about the product.

Advertising therefore focused on function. A somewhat sparse listing of various qualities.

1925 – advantages

Somewhat later in the development, it was no longer enough to simply provide information about your own product. As more companies began to do the same thing as you, competition for customers increased. You therefore needed not only to tell people about your own product, but also to convince the reader that your product was superior to those of your competitors.

By highlighting the advantages of your product, you could argue why the customer should buy your streamlined car rather than an angular Model T Ford.

1950 – experience

A little later, even this was no longer enough. There were now so many companies with similar products that it was impossible to stand out solely on the basis of product advantages. So what should advertising be based on? The consumer, of course. Instead of talking about the technical qualifications or advantages of the product, the focus shifted to the customer's experience. Advertising used words like luxury! Quality! Spirit of the future! All in an attempt to shape the customer's emotional experience of the product.

Not a word about horsepower or other technical advantages, just a focus on the experience. What the customer should feel.

Today – identity

And it has continued in this way. Advertising has gone from focusing on the product to focusing more and more on the customer. It tells who you are as a buyer of the product. Your values, your personal characteristics, and how the product reflects this, your lifestyle.

Forget about the engine. YOU are environmentally friendly, and that makes YOU sexy.

Advertising has thus gone from function to benefit to experience and finally to identity. But no one knows what the advertising of the future will focus on.

Or do they?