DESCRIBE THE HISTORY OF MARKETING

In the late 19th century, Marketing was a term used to describe the commercial activities that
facilitate the purchase and sale of goods or services; it is a combination of procedures that
involve the production, communication, distribution, and exchange of variables that benefit
customers, clients, stakeholders, and the entire community.

Marketing can be regarded as being as old as civilization and is said to have started even
before barter trade where the major priorities were to consume what was available and trade
the excess between people, regions and countries. Many historians believe that marketing
began as early as the 1500BCE, before the current era, which, was during the Mesopotamian
period. They had a large production of goods such as alcoholic drinks, textiles and cosmetics
that required control of quality. To identify who made the object that a buyer was buying,
producers would stamp their products with a signature mark using stone seals, which through
time were changed into clay seals.

These seals had pictorial markings that conveyed information to the customers about the
product name, region of origin and even the name of the vendor so that through this,
customers would be able to go to the vendor and purchase their product over and over again.
This relates to the current times were marketers use packaging, brand names and logos to
attract customers and to influence them to consume their products.

Moving forward to 1450CE, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and the first
type of print advertisement was created. This press was used to print logos and symbols that
were copied in large quantities on various types of paper. This discovery revolutionized the
field of marketing since it allowed manufacturers to communicate their brand to a far wider
audience by using words on items such as books, posters, and papers.

An Englishman named Edward Cave is credited for creating magazines in the 1730s when he
decided to include a variety of readings such as poems, stories, and political news that he
thought people would find enjoyable. Jared Bell invented the billboard in the 1830s which
was placed on street railroads; it was used in response to a new demand for information
sharing driven by the printing of publications for widespread public consumption. After the
first billboard was established, businesses, governments, and individuals used outdoor
billboards as a major platform to express their opinions throughout World Wars I and II.
More creative forms of advertising outlets were developed to suit the need as more
organizations decided to speak their messages during America's great wars. The two of the
most well-known examples of advertisements from the 1900s include Uncle Sam and Rosie
the riveter. The U.S. Army used Uncle Sam on their advert to help draw in new members for
the war. The "I Want You" poster was printed more than 4 million times and it was one of the
most recognizable print advertising of its era.

The Army then mounted a second, very successful recruitment drive with the "We Can Do
It!" poster during the course of World War II. The goal of this billboard was to recruit women
to work in military companies that made planes, tanks, and ammunition by presenting a
powerful female worker.

Marketing through Radio and Television ads took off in the 1920s and so on. The first radio
commercial in New York in 1922 where the American telephone and telegraph organization
(AT&T) advertised the long island apartments and following the coming years, almost 90%
of radio stations were carrying out the same activity to market products and services to
consumers.

On television, the first commercial aired in 1941, the Bulova watch company advertised their
watches and it cost them $9 only that is very different to the current commercials which cost
a lot more for a few minutes. The 40’s, 50’s and 60’s had a simple and family friendly type of
advertising, these were new concepts to consumers because it was the first time they
experienced coloured television and it caught their attention and influenced them very
quickly.

The digital marketing era shaped the path for supercomputers which were introduced in the
1970s, and as computers became widespread very quickly, spam emailing, and e-commerce
advertising also became digital. During this time, only a small percentage of people had
access to the internet in the early 1990s and about half of the world's population is now online
and these developments have altered how digital marketing functions today.

In 1995, search engines like Yahoo and Google started to gain traction and all of these
marketing channels were major participants in the marketing sector because they led to the
development of technology to filter out unnecessary information based on what users were
searching.
The evolution of Marketing

The industrial Revolution era (1860- 1920)

The industrial revolution era was crucial for marketing since it established the basis for
contemporary mass-marketing strategies it was a time when manufacturing methods went
through great transformation. Mass production became possible for the first time with the
introduction of new technology. This enabled factories to produce more things in a given
amount of time than ever before. Because of the ability to reach a far larger audience, this
technology has a significant impact on marketing.

Ford Motor Manufacturer was one of the first businesses to profit from the industrial
revolution they were able to sell their cars for less price and it had a high demand, as a result
of this, it made them more accessible to a variety of consumers. Only a small amount of
strategy was required in terms of marketing and sales because there was little competition and
high demand.

The Sales era (1920- 1940)

The Sales Era saw an increase in customer competition as more businesses entered the
market, this competitive environment begun to change, and the primary objective was to sell
as many units as possible. To attract clients to make a purchase, businesses used eye-catching
sales campaigns, radio ads, and door-to-door sales.

The Modern Marketing Era (21st Century)

In the current times, promotion of goods and services uses both traditional as well as digital
methods. With the development of the internet, promotion was changed from outbound
marketing to inbound marketing. Using personalized emails marketing, social media
platforms, content marketing strategies, search engines, and other channels, inbound
marketing enables two-way interactive engagement between businesses and their target
audiences.
In conclusion, the development of personal computers, smartphones, and social media was
made possible by the expanding technology in the industrial, sales and modern marketing era.
Prior to the implementation of all of these, print, radio, and conventional television were
utilized for marketing. Yet when smartphones, Laptops, and social media were more widely
used, a new opportunity for digital marketing was uncovered and made more accessible.
Businesses and organizations can better understand their customers' needs, wants, and
responses to different campaigns they run by using marketing tactics like search engine
optimization (SEO). Marketing today offers interactive, client-based marketing strategies and
solutions through social media, blogs, Google, and TV advertisements. As technology
develops and customer behaviour is better understood, marketing will continue to grow for
the better.
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