Marketing has always evolved in parallel with technology and innovation. Marketing is a communicative business, and technology is a great driver of changes in communication. Almost every development in communicative technology – from the printing press to the telephone – has led to a shift in marketing techniques and culture. Here are some of the innovations that have driven marketing forwards the most.
The Internet
Since the World wide Web was first launched in 1991 it has continuously effected the way products and services are marketed. At its heart, the internet in an information sharing and retrieval service. Marketing is concerned with the sharing of information. The term ‘digital marketing’ was first coined in the 1990s, when personal computers were becoming increasingly widespread. On the 27th of October 1994 a landmark event in the relationship between the technology of the internet and the development of marketing occurred. The first banner advertisement – designed by Joe McCambley – was uploaded. The banner advertised AT&T and was an absolutely huge success. Roughly 44% of all people who saw the banner clicked on it.
As the internet became more popular society became networked in ways that had never been seen before. Social media platforms have revolutionized marketing. Market research and targeted campaigns can be undertaken with startling depth. Niche audiences can be understood and reached out to with ease, and the analysis of vast quantities of data can be used to develop strategy.
Text Messaging
The first text message – a simple ‘merry Christmas’ – was sent in 1992. In the marketing world, this technological development presented an opportunity. What better way to reach out directly to audiences that through the screens of their mobile phones? It wasn’t long before marketers were using text messaging to get their clients’ message to the people. Text message marketing was pioneered in the political sphere, and was soon adopted by brands.
Texts have proven to be great marketing tools. Around 99 percent of all text messages are opened by consumers. Plenty of programs, plugins and systems have been devised to make text message marketing easier and more effective, including Blue State SMS tools.
Radio
Radio might not be the powerhouse that it once was, but the development of commercial radio in the early 20th century completely changed marketing forever. The first radio advertisement was broadcast in 1922. It was a fifty minute long paid for talk on New York’s WEAF station advertising homes for sale in Jackson Heights. During radio’s golden age in the mid 20th Century, huge portions of the population were exposed to marketing materials distributed over commercial radio.
The Newspaper
In 1605, the world’s first newspaper was printed. Paper and printing was, however, still prohibitively expensive. By the 1700s, new innovations in printing equipment had made the sale of newspapers economically viable. A new kind of marketing was born – print advertisement. Advertising could ‘piggyback’ on the established distribution chain and audience of a newspaper. By the 1730s daily newspapers in London were dedicating up to half of their pages to advertisements.
