Advertisement

Advertisements are representations designed to affect and inform a market through knowledge of its needs and wants, over a form of mediated channels that result in an exchange of values.

A fifteenth-century definition of “advertisement” as “the turning of the mind to anything: attention, observation, heed” still seems appropriate for the twenty-first century when gaining attention for one's products has become exceedingly difficult with keen competition in most product categories, mature product lifecycles, and little product differentiation.

In the fifteenth century, advertisements were used in the creation of shop signs, the billboards of the time. Since few people were able to read, symbols and signs represented the product, service, skill, or craft within the store. Advertisements were in the form of announcements such as stagecoach schedules or classified ads seeking an exchange of information. Media consisted of outdoor advertisements which were posted in city centers, personal...