The Advertising Industry from the Roaring 20s to Now

In the 1920s consumerism was born. People residing in developed and industrial countries were exposed to advertising that triggered a cultural shift in the way people saw products and services. By 1925 nearly 40% of the U.S workforce earned $2,000 or more a year, which allowed for individuals, couples and families to have a disposable income.

Businesses had cash to flaunt their offerings and produce more stock; and people were picking up what they were putting down, which in turn injected cash from all angles into this mass advertising market in the making.

The six-day workweek was reduced to five and suddenly people had free time to wine and dine, engage in tourist style activities and plan vacations. Obviously, businesses began to thrive; magazines and newspapers described to the masses what they should buy, explained the why behind this and pointed them in the right direction on where to buy fast.

Popular media was on the rise in the 1920s and something radically new was published, TIME magazine; which emerged as a weekly magazine that was distinctive in its focus on news rather than commentary.

The succinct writing style, was well received by readers and generated awareness. Basically, it was a forerunner in grooming society in becoming the perfectly impressionable crowd for big business advertisers.

Then came the Great Depression and World War 2 that lasted through to the mid-40s where basically the world was at a standstill. With numerous people out of work worldwide post the stock market crash. Recovery came though, and the advertising industry began to gain momentum again.

The 1960s and 1970s were the advertising's "coming of age," when the industry mastered the language of TV, appropriated the medium of photography and produced work of unprecedented creativity. Influenced by the cultural and social changes of the decade, advertising reflected a trend toward innovation, sophistication and a growing youth culture.

Today, the advertising industry is worth a whopping $600 billion and is growing at a 5% rate annually. The ad industry is always rapidly transitioning; to stay afloat it needs to walk hand in hand with the cultural shifts of modern day society.