The Beginning Era: Advertising as a Product of Religion, Nobility, and the Arts (1400s -- 1700s)

Advertising during the Renaissance

The sponsorship of art can be seen as an early form of advertising, since it is a paid form of work representing a religious structures or even persons of high-status. During the Renaissance, the Catholic Church and other wealthy sponsors such as the Medici family granted commissions to skilled artists for their works of art in sculpture, painting, and architecture.

Sponsorship of art is nothing new, of course. We need only look back to the work of famous Renaissance men. Michelangelo was commissioned by the Catholic Church and to paint the Sistine Chapel. The city of Florence, yet another patron, asked Michelangelo to create the David. And so it was with other artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, who sold their work to those who could afford it. And in producing it, they adapted their creative ideas to what their patrons wanted.

To this end, sponsored art became a form of advertising. For wealthy patrons, it was a representation of wealth and power. For the Church, it was used for the glory of God as Cathedrals during the period stood as the largest buildings within the city – bold, magnificent, and majestic. In addition, works of art were used for the purposing of instruction to Church members, depicting images of the life of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. This gave the Catholic Church enormous power in giving a visual form to religious ideas, which eventually won over the minds of believers.

In today’s society, corporations and not the Church pay for advertising. And what is produced today serves their needs and desires just as art has always done for its sponsors.

Advertising during the Elizabethan Age

The use of advertising during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I was a result of the crown working together with the guilds in order to promote trade, mercantilism, and the arts. In advertising, conveying a likable image is important when promoting a service or product. This is known as branding. Likewise, the Queen understood the value of image, using it to her advantage. Her creativity in developing a parade on the day of her coronation proved to have a positive reflect towards her as England’s new ruler. During the parade, members of the crown carried placards which identified the guilds who were gathered around. These guilds were in fact advertising to the Queen, in search of her royal charters. Such charters would grant these groups the rights to sell products to the crown and represent the Queen when trading goods overseas. As a result, the Queen’s charter was able to brand a particular company’s shoes, porcelain, leather, or blacksmith as the Queen’s official carrier or maker of such items, and convey a sense of high-image and quality in the marketplace.

Advertising during the Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church in the late 1500s looked to the Baroque style as part of the Counter-Reformation. The Church commissioned architect and artists to create works representing the glories of heaven, as well as the concept of salvation, in attempts to regain members who became Protestants. The use of exaggeration in emphasizing beauty and emotion in the Baroque movement allowed the Catholic Church to stand out from its competitor, the Protestant Church. Consequently, the Catholic Church was able to retain much of its followers, while promoting the Baroque movement.

Defining advertising…historically

While the majority of society can generally describe advertising as a paid commercial message transmitted within a mass medium, there is no single definition that describes it today. Historians, sociologists, marketers, and the common citizen all view advertising differently – as an art form, a science, or marketing tool of within our capitalist world.

James Laver, a British historian, broadly described advertising during the 19^th century—a time when companies made outrageous claims which could not be proved, and with practically no regulation—as follows:

“Advertising is as old as Humanity: indeed, much older; for what are the flaunting colours of the flowers but so many invitations to the bees to come and “buy our product.” Advertising might be defined as any device which first arrests the attention of the passer-by and then induces him to accept a mutually advantageous exchange.”

In other words, advertising may be described as a mechanism for 1) getting the attention of an individual and then, 2) persuading that individual to engage in some kind of action—ultimately, to buy some type of service or product.

This definition seems almost appropriate in today’s society. A woman listening to her radio at home may learn of a nearby store sale in her town, where she may possibly go to purchase her particular set items for the home. A businessman catching a television commercial for office supplies may be enticed to visit is local supply store. But how could advertising exist without the use of television, radio, even the internet?

A Brief History on the Origins and Creativity of Advertising

Our society deals with advertising everyday. The majority seem to be annoyed by it, while vast a number of individuals also seem to enjoy a good laugh in between television programming. But what is advertising, and how can it be seen as a form of creativity?

This blog seeks to address the following three elements, to be discussed collectively in defining advertising creativity:

1) Defining advertising through a concise history of its origins, throughout the world, and in the United States (traces of advertising in history)

2) Advertising today and its various creative forms

3) Comparing advertising to other creative periods in terms of linear and lateral thinking

Also, a personal creativity project looking at current advertising in its various creative forms will also be analyzed, using a creative model to underline different techniques used in creating ads.

A note to readers: This blog does not seek to address ethics in advertising, a topic which many times would invite polarizing opinions and heated discussion, but which are beyond the scope of this blog. Instead, this paper looks solely at advertising as a form of creativity.