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The history of television ads

A television advertisement consists of brief advertising spots of 10-second spot, 20-second spot to several minutes. The ads that last several minutes are called infomercials. Advertising has seen the transition from advertisements on papyrus leaves in ancient Greece and ancient Rome to the ads on walls through rock paintings in ancient Asia, Africa or other parts of the world dates back to 4000 BC. With the invention of paper in 105 AD, the advertisement has shifted its base to paper. And from paper to hoardings to print media to television ads it has been a long journey for the world of advertisement.

In fact without advertising you cannot even sell a hairpin, a pencil or a needle. Such is the power of advertisement and its influence on human minds. The more the ad is powerful, the more the ad leaves a deep impact on human minds calling him into action. A successful ad should change the buying profile of the consumers and compel them buy the one that the ad suggests.

tv commercials

Television ads leave a deep impact on the audiences changing their buying profile and tastes. When television was in its nascent stage in the early 1930s, it foresaw the advent of television ads and its deep impact on the viewers. Not until 1941, the first commercial was telecast on American TV. It was a simple television commercial that was aired on July 1st 1941 over New York station WNBC. It was telecast before a baseball game between Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. The ad ran like this. A picture of a clock was placed on a US map and the voiceover said, “America runs on Bulova time.” This 10-second spot which cost the watch company some $4 to $9 was an instantaneous hit with the viewers. Likewise the first television ad was broadcast in UK on 22nd September 1955 over ITV. The ad was Gibbs SR Toothpaste. While the first television ad in Asia was broadcast in Tokyo on August 28th 1953. The commercial was Seiko (then Seikosha), a clock that displayed the current time in the commercial.

Ever since, the television advertising has never looked back. Television advertising has become the mainstay of the business world. They clung to it to sell their products and services. Lots of creativity has flown under the waters since then. With television advertising companies mushrooming around the world, there is not a home which is not spared of commercial ads. Such is the popularity of commercial ads on television. Today, television advertisement is a trillion dollar business around the world.