Advertising in antiquity and its importance in society. The history of the emergence and development of advertising An ancient advertiser who signed his advertising inscriptions

Chapter 2. Advertising in ancient society

Social factors in the formation of advertising:

Advertising of spectacles: poster
political advertising
Elements of confessional advertising
Ways to regulate the advertising process in antiquity
General conclusions
Control questions

Social factors in the formation of advertising: the culture of urbanism

When does professional advertising actually arise? Here we are approaching a turning point in culture, which directly concerns not only advertisers, but also journalists, any figures in mass communications. The process of professionalization of advertising coincides with the period of the formation of mass information as a phenomenon: advertising is its offshoot.

When does a society need mass information? In a situation where interpersonal contacts cannot ensure the informational well-being of the community. When interpersonal, neighborhood ties do not provide the necessary minimum of awareness that is needed to coordinate activities. This happens when local settlements are replaced by a type of urban culture. The totality of all the processes taking place in the city creates a culture of urbanism.

The emergence at the stage of urbanism of some new information mechanism - the message of something for everyone living in a given urban-type settlement, without a specific address, is associated with quantitative parameters. If in a rural community three thousand people live at most, and in early communities, as a rule, even less, then cities, even the earliest ones, record from five thousand to one million inhabitants. A million inhabitants - in the most prosperous cities, such as Babylon or ancient Rome.

The city is formed around three information centers. The first is administration. The administrative apparatus can sit in different buildings of different configurations. Its essence lies in managerial leadership in a given urban community, which in antiquity - Greek and Roman - was called the word "polis".

The temple complex became the second center uniting the life of the policy. Here the temple, in contrast to the pre-urban forms, is created in the very "heart" of the urban settlement.

The third is a trading area, a market. No matter how diverse the concepts of the temple and the market look, it is nevertheless interesting to find that these seemingly diametrical formations - purely earthly and sublime - coexist. They follow each other very closely throughout all the centuries up to the New Age. Therefore, no matter how lofty the aspirations of those who visit the temple, what is necessary for survival is sold nearby for them. Market - commercial and domestic concentration of interests of urban residents

Separation of professional advertising from proto advertising texts
The difference between proto-advertising and professional advertising is a very crucial moment in understanding these phenomena. It lies in the fact that the phenomenon of proto-advertising is syncretic, it uses the entire set of iconic functions. The process of professionalization is accompanied by the selection of those functions that focus specifically on advertising tasks. At first, this process takes place on the basis of oral speech communication.

When oral speech is formed in the human community, what culturologists call the first information revolution occurs - this is the situation of the emergence of speech communication in a prehuman community (since without a language, this is not yet a fully human community).

Initially, verbal communication is syncretic: various social functions, namely: informational, regulative, expressive, etc. But gradually, in the oral culture, the types of texts that serve different kinds activities: ritual, industrial, aesthetic, etc.

The importance of signaling communication was briefly discussed in the previous chapter. We repeat: a signal is a way of instantly drawing the attention of an individual or community to a phenomenon in order to induce them to prompt action. Significant means have played this role from time immemorial up to the present time - it is worth remembering the traffic lights on the streets of modern cities or the cry “Stop! Hands up!"

Expression of sign means - this is their emotional expressiveness and richness, a quality without which it is difficult to imagine a full-fledged advertising.

suggestion- suggestion. This is the ability of some sign forms and their combinations to influence not only the consciousness and emotions, but also the subconscious of the recipients. Suggestion is present in advertising messages, starting from the earliest stage of formation of this type of texts.

The combination of these three functional prerequisites for operational impact on a wide audience initially occurs spontaneously, unconsciously. The practical effectiveness of such combinations leads to their increasingly purposeful use by emerging professionals.

Heralds - the first advertising professionals
In antiquity, urban heralds. In our opinion, it was in the course of their activities that stable samples of advertising texts were developed, their typological structure was formed. The position of heralds is recorded by archaeological sources as early as the period of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture around the 14th century BC. 1

The active role of heralds in ancient society is recorded in a wide range of artistic and literary works. Let's look at the comedies of Aristophanes - a rare one of them does without a character called the "herald". Famous historians constantly mention this position: Herodotus, Polybius, Tacitus, Plutarch, Suetonius. In ancient Greek policies, the position of herald had several branches. Some of them performed diplomatic missions and were an obligatory participant in various embassies. The fulfillment of this mission was very honorable and extremely responsible. Among the Lacedaemonians, for example, according to Herodotus, this position was inherited from father to son and it was erected to the legendary messenger of King Agamemnon - Talphibius.

In other Greek policies, heralds were elected by the popular assembly by voting or by lot. In addition to their embassy functions, a less aristocratic layer of heralds was at the disposal of the city administration and informed the city population of the most important operational information, both business, commercial and political.

And finally, the least prestigious layer of heralds served market sales, served with artistic troupes, and was clients of private individuals. The rank of a herald was demonstrated by his attire and attributes. The most privileged owned a rod - a caduceus, belonging to the messenger of the gods Mercury. But it was more convenient for ordinary city heralds to have some kind of sound instrument - a horn or a bell, whose call signs attracted people.

The position of the herald assumed prompt notification of all citizens of the city about generally significant events: the next date of the national assembly, visits to important embassies, the triumphs of famous generals, the distribution of bread to the poor members of the community, or the upcoming gladiatorial games.

1 Kumanetsky K. Cultural History of Ancient Greece and Rome. - M., 1990. S. 27.

Genre differentiation of oral advertising in the ancient city
The core of these alerts was a brief information block, which in both ancient and modern culture constitutes the genre ads. Let's repeat once again - the purpose of this genre is a signal to the general public about the presence of important facts, events, processes at this and that place. The announcement is the core of a wide family of information genres - business, political, religious. It is a necessary basis for a developed advertising text. overflow into advertising sphere verbal announcements occurs when the original signal function of the message concentrates elements of expression (emotional expressiveness) and suggestion (suggestion).

Increase in expression in short message transforms a "simple" ad into an invocation genre. This is where the circle of action of reclamare is outlined - an invocative cry that is different from a neutrally impartial notification.

The addition of suggestive-imperative tonality to the information core is typical for heralds shouting out edicts, decrees, municipal orders, for non-compliance with which, as a rule, sanctions are imposed.

This is how the initial differentiation of types of texts occurs in the daily activities of heralds. And gradually, the elements of expression and suggestion in oral advertising, as well as the setting for demonstrativeness in the object-pictorial version of this activity, acquire the character of professional techniques.

About great value social role Herald, her popularity is evidenced, in particular, by the performance of this position (albeit concurrently with a number of others) by the highly revered Olympic deity Mercury. He was called a sonorous voice - a sign that a professional herald could hardly do without. About how the role of the herald was carried out by Mercury, Apuleius narrates in the famous story "The Golden Ass".

According to the plot of an inserted novel about the love of Cupid and Psyche, the heroine tries to hide from the angry Venus, who seeks to prevent the unequal marriage of her son Cupid and a mortal girl. For the all-world search for a fugitive, the imperious Olympian calls on her brother Mercury and tells him: “... I have no choice but to announce publicly through your mouthpiece what kind of indication where she is ( Psyche - ed.) located, a reward will be issued. So, hurry up with my order, and list in detail the signs by which you can recognize her, so that the guilty of unlawful concealment could not excuse himself with ignorance. 2 . With these words, the goddess handed over to Mercury a sheet with the name of Psyche and her signs.

“Mercury was not slow to obey. Running around all the nations, he thus proclaimed everywhere, fulfilling the task entrusted to him: If someone returns from the run or can indicate the place where the fugitive, the royal daughter, the servant of Venus named Psyche, is hiding, let him announce this to the herald of Mercury ... And in the form he will receive rewards for the message from Venus herself, seven sweet kisses and one more honey ... " 3

It is clear that this episode from the life of the Olympians models the frequent "earthly" situation associated with the escape of slaves and slaves from their masters, and the role that the herald played in their search. The text of the announcement proclaimed by Mercury has the character of an extended advertisement. Let's pay attention to the beginning of the message: "if anyone" in Latin - "siquis". This turnover became a stable cliché in brief announcements and became widespread in Europe in the 13th-14th centuries. Expression and suggestion factors are compressed into a premium bait, which is very seductive for antique taste (and partly for modern one).

So, under the pen of Apuleius, we have before us a full-length professional of antique advertising and an expressive sample of advertising text.

With the cries of heralds authorized by the city authorities on the streets of ancient cities, calls of wandering merchants alternated, enticing jokes of conjurers and jugglers, rhetorically pompous declamations of itinerant preachers - ministers of various cults.

The famous Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca wrote about the incessant noise coming from the streets of Rome to his friend Lucilius: “Now there is a many-voiced cry around me: after all, I live right above the bathhouse ... If ball players appear, they start counting throws - it’s all over. Add to this the bickering, and catching the thief, and those who like the sound of their own voices... Add those who splash into the pool with a deafening splash... Besides, there are pie-makers, and sausage-makers, and sellers of sweets, and all sorts of dishes, each in their own way calling out the goods " 4 .

What is the nature of these "shouts"? We can judge them by a later time, because in ancient culture there were no records of such fleeting calls. However, a trace of them still remained in the writings of ancient authors. The same Apuleius tells how, being in the skin of a donkey (the result of careless handling of a magic potion), he ended up in the market with other pack animals bred for sale. For the prompt sale of a consignment of goods, a herald was also hired, acting within the market. He "in a loud voice he named the price of each separately." Bargaining went on, but the obstinacy of the donkey, who remembered his human life repelled buyers. “Then the herald, tearing his throat and hoarse, began to make funny jokes, glorifying my virtues.” 5

Judging by the author's comments, the jokes were filled with humor and practical jokes. A crowd gathered around, not so much buyers as listeners of everyday scenes. And, attracted by friendly laughter, a servant of a certain Syrian goddess appeared at the place of sale, finally acquiring a donkey. The ingenious impromptu folklore advertisement had the desired effect: the deal was closed.

This example is another illustration of the build-up of expressive and suggestive "shells" around the information core, which is a concise message about the subject of advertising. In oral versions of texts, in addition to the style of verbal constructions, the melodic accompaniment of “shouts”, their rhythmic organization, the use of rhyme, as well as a set of real or invented arguments that convince the counterparty of the action to which the advertising appeal calls for, contribute to increased expression and suggestion. . Among such means of persuasion, turning into psychological pressure, are various oaths, swearing, references to witnesses, which become both neighbors on the counter and representatives of the highest authorities. For example: "Let the thunder break me if I'm lying!" and so on.

The above exclamation, not alien to the lips and ears of our contemporaries, directly goes back to one of the most common ancient oath turns; "By Zeus!" - in Greece or "By Jove!"- in Rome. Everyone knew that the Thunderer would look for the perjurer - if not instantly, then over time. But oaths - as a building block of market advertising - continued to flourish everywhere. Even among the laconic Lacedaemonians.

We know about this from the story of the famous Hellenic historian Herodotus. According to him, the Persian ruler Cyrus, preparing for a war with Hellas, arrogantly received the envoys of Sparta. He said in particular: “I am not afraid of people who have a certain place in the middle of the city where people gather, deceiving each other and giving false oaths” 6 . This is how the Persian perceived, according to his spies, what was happening in the marketplaces of the Hellenic cities, imprinting for us the style of advertising messages.

This style annoyed the most enlightened citizens. In particular, the great philosopher Plato, reflecting on the laws of the ideal state he was designing, planned: “And let there be no praise and oaths about any thing for sale. The disobedient, the first city dweller he meets, who has reached the age of thirty, has the right to beat him with impunity, punishing him for his oaths. Whoever neglects this right of his will be subjected to blasphemy for betraying the laws. If anyone is unable to obey our current words and starts selling anything counterfeit, then the first person to know about it, let him expose it, if he can, before the rulers ...

The seller, convicted of counterfeiting, in addition to being deprived of his counterfeit goods, will also be punished by the herald in the marketplace with as many blows of the scourge as he demands for his goods, and the herald will announce for what he is subjected to this punishment. 7 .

Plato hoped to introduce such rules in the future ideal state. However, even in those real conditions in which the Greek policies developed, there were legislative measures to regulate the advertising process, which we will discuss at the end of this chapter.

2 Apuleius Metamorphoses. In XI books. - M., 1959. S. 193.

3 There.

4 Seneca L.A. Moral letters to Lucilius. - M., 1977. S. 93.

5 Apuleius Metamorphoses. In XI books. - M., 1959. S. 279.

6 Herodotus Story. In IX books. - M, 1993. S. 60.

7 Plato Laws. Op. in 3 volumes - M., 1972. Vol. 3, part 2. S. 416.

Variants of subject-graphic advertising in antiquity
If we can judge the features of oral advertising in antiquity from indirect data, then its pictorial forms partly came down to us directly. These are some examples of artistic signs and emblems of artisans, imprinted on a variety of pottery items. Signboards have come down to us in two versions: marble reliefs have been found that have a signboard character, and their pictorial counterparts, discovered during excavations of the city of Pompeii, which died under the lava of Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. The nature of the eruption was such that many objects of the ancient city were preserved, as it were, and not destroyed.

About the signs found in Pompeii, we will say further. Here we will focus on one of the examples marble relief having a signboard character. The relief depicts a goldsmith: “A young man in a belted tunic with sleeves rolled up to the elbow sits in front of an anvil placed on a block of wood and with a double hammer ... hits a strip of metal that lies on the anvil and which he holds with his left hand. On the wall above the gold mine there are scales; behind the block of wood, five objects are placed one on top of the other, gradually decreasing from the floor upwards. Each of them resembles two deep plates, of which the upper one is overturned onto the lower one. 8 .

This description belongs to the famous researcher of antiquity M.E. Sergeenko. She joins the opinion of her colleagues that the image advertised the place of a prestigious craft - processing of precious metals, was a sign. Interpretations differ about what kind of objects are carved in the background of the relief. Some believe that these are ingots of metal awaiting processing, others that these are packages of finished products. 9 . For the inhabitants of ancient Rome, where the bas-relief flaunted, it was probably quite clear what this monumental sign depicted.

In Pompeii, not so heavy signs were found, filled with paints on the walls or on special boards. The most common type of services in this city were taverns, gostiny yards, and taverns. Sources report that there were 20 taverns on the central street of the city, which was named by archaeologists the Stabieva Road and occupies 770 meters. In total, there were about 140 such establishments in Pompeii. It is clear that they competed, and the owners tried to decorate them in every possible way in order to charm and lure passers-by.

Among such attempts, there are signs that can be compared with modern comics. They are a set of pictorial situations that explain what a warrior will get if he enters the doors that are wide open for him. Two pictures on one side of the door, two pictures on the other. First, the washing of the feet of a weary traveler is depicted. Another picture shows how he is treated - a table and treats. The third shows how he will be escorted to rest. Charming women lead the guest; depending on his desire, they will stay or leave the place where he can indulge in rest, which is depicted in the fourth episode.

In addition to these picturesque signs widely used in antiquity subject And subject-symbolic options. In the first case, the “sign” was the product itself, put on public display: sets of clay vessels near the potter’s shop or a bottle of incense on the perfumer’s window. Today, this way of displaying goods has been hidden behind display windows and unfolded in all its glory on in-store shelves.

More curious variant of subject-symbolic decisions when the direct image of the product is replaced by another object that is functionally close to it.

There was a millstone near the bakers' shops. An object associated with grinding, and from bread, as if a distant phenomenon. But if one is accustomed to seeing millstones and knowing that there is bread there, no questions arise.

The role of an ordinary military shield, which served as a signboard for a tavern, hotel, inn, is noteworthy. The shield is a symbol that was exhibited by the owners of these establishments, indicating the opportunity to relax and be protected.

Even more curious is the symbol of ivy as an indicator of the wine trade. There is probably a similarity association here, since ivy and wild grapes are similar.

Figurative symbolization techniques were widely used for the invention brand names with which antique artisans marked their products. Especially many of these samples have come down to us on pottery items: amphorae, pithoi, vases or their fragments. The number of such litters known today is in the thousands. Among them, antique scholars distinguish four groups of images: 1) various objects: a tripod, a hammer, a halberd; 2) plants: branches, wreaths, flowers; 3) animals: bull, horse, lion, elephant, dog; 4) images of deities in human form 10 .

Many of these emblems were accompanied by inscriptions. Some of them are deciphered as the names of the owners of the workshops, some are the names of the city caretakers - astinomas.

In antiquity, the city of Chersonesos in the territory of modern Crimea was the place of expanded ceramic production. Among the huge number of archaeological finds, lamps, fishing weights, tiles, amphoras and other items marked with the stamps of masters were found. The predominant form of hallmarks here was the monogram or the initial letters of the name - their pictorial accompaniment is relatively rare. Nevertheless, the researchers came to the confident conclusion that the studied signs "were a kind of trade mark ... The hallmarks were imposed by the masters themselves in order to familiarize buyers with their products" 11 .

As it turned out, even the ancient walls of Chersonesos were made of stone blocks marked with the branded badges of stonemasons dating back to the end of the 5th century BC. e.

We mentioned the developed desire of the figures of antiquity to imprint their deeds for a long time in the memory of their descendants in the previous chapter, relying on the sad fate (partly caused by this desire) that befell the sculptor Phidias. On a number of colorful frescoes in Pompeian interiors, archaeologists find the signature "Lucillius", which additionally testifies to the rootedness of the author's emblems and signatures on the created works.

Object-pictorial techniques of syncretic proto-advertising representation declared themselves in the ancient era during triumphal processions, solemn processions, religious festivities, which will be discussed below.

Here we turn to familiarization with the types of written advertising in antiquity.

8 Sergeenko M. E.

9 Sergeenko M. E. Artisans of Ancient Rome. - L., 1968. S. 39.

10 Trakov B.N. Ancient Greek ceramic stamps with the names of astynoms. - M., 1929. S. 86.

11 Akhmerov R. B. On the hallmarks of the ceramic masters of the Hellenistic Chersonese // Bulletin ancient history. - 1951, No. 3. S. 78.

Written advertising: graffiti, album, Roman proto-newspaper
Culturologists associate the second information revolution with the formation of written communication. Researchers differ in the chronological interpretation of the period of formation of writing. Tentatively, this is the VI millennium BC. e. The most ancient written materials have come down to us from the 4th millennium BC. e. But since developed writing belongs to these terms, it can be assumed that some time was spent on the formation of writing. The oldest written texts were found during excavations in the city of Sumer (Babylonia). They date back to about 3700 BC. e. This gives some historians of advertising the right to talk about six thousand years of its existence. In particular, this is the opinion of the German researcher Hans Buchli, the creator of a four-volume publication devoted to advertising and propaganda, which was published in Berlin in the 60s of the 20th century. The author calls his multi-volume work "Six thousand years of advertising", referring to the current two thousand years of modern times and those same four thousand years BC. e., which can be indicated as the period of the presence of written texts 12 .

The written advertising texts found by archaeologists date back to later periods. These are, first of all, spontaneous autographs left by ordinary inhabitants of ancient cities on the walls of houses, temples, porticos, etc. The main documentary evidence of the presence graffiti are inscriptions taken by archaeologists and cultural historians from the walls of Pompeii. Graffiti is the scratching by any resident of the city on the walls, porticos, structures of their opinions, appeals, considerations, or simply a statement about oneself that does not carry generally valid information.

Graffiti are syncretic formations, since among them there are both advertising texts that carry professional traces of typical ads, and inscriptions that are not directly related to the ad. It can be lyrical thoughts, a stanza of a poem, a declaration of love. Similar inscriptions fill European cities today. It seems that graffiti is a form of personal self-promotion. Even in the case when it is written: “Rita and Vova were at this place”, one can find a typical unconscious manifestation of self-affirmation.

Among the spontaneous inscriptions, professionally oriented ones gradually stand out. For example: “Passer-by, go from here to the twelfth tower. Saricus keeps a wine cellar there. Look there. See you" 13 .

Or: “The booze is worth it here. For two asses you will drink the best, and for four you will already drink Falerno. 14 .

The terms (ancient baths) were advertised very vigorously - a favorite place of rest for Roman citizens. Calls to indulge in rest read like this: "With the income of Faustina, the bath washes according to the city custom and offers all services." Another graffiti suggests taking off: “Villa - good and soundly built. The employer must turn to the crab such and such ... ". The following is a drawing that gives an idea of the quality factor of the advertised housing.

In antiquity, papyrus and wax tablets were also a form of distribution of written announcements. The British Museum has a papyrus containing two texts related to the sale of people. Trade in living goods is the largest array in the announcements of ancient cities.

So, about the slave: “He hears perfectly with both ears, sees with both eyes. I guarantee you his abstinence in food, honesty and humility. 15 .

Tiny text, but what an abundance of information. How much contempt for a person as a thing is contained here. The touches that the seller highlights are characteristic: the unpretentiousness of the slave, on the one hand, and on the other hand, his ability to obligingly obey what the future owner wants.

Even more expressive is the text dedicated to a slave for sale: “What an elastic body. Isn't this girl right for you? I guarantee her innocence" 16 .

A text specific to the trade in slaves, who were acquired not only for work, but also for other services. And it is unlikely that in any ancient house there was at least one slave who did not experience the intimate claims of the owner and his numerous servants.

An even higher degree of professionalization in written advertising is revealed by such a specific phenomenon of antiquity as album. The word "album" comes from the concept of "white". In the Roman era, the phenomenon of album - was an area on the city walls, on the spacious parts of the houses, which were whitewashed with white paint or lime so that current announcements were written on them. So, in Pompeii, on the eastern side of the Forum, a building of impressive size rises. It housed a cloth workshop. The inscription reported that the building was erected at the expense of the widow of a cloth merchant on behalf of her and her son. The wall of this workshop, facing the Forum, consisted of several writing areas separated by columns. They were whitewashed, next to it stood a vessel with black paint and a writing implement. Album served assigned for this case dealbatores(literally: "bleachers"). As soon as the white areas were completely covered with operational announcements, the servants took up their duties and the whitewashed wall again played the role of an advertising medium.

At the same time, in antiquity, this word denoted the activities of heralds, i.e. already in ancient Rome or ancient Greece we see the prerequisites for the professionalization of advertisers. Herald is not just a certain individual, so called those who were engaged in advertising professionally, i.e. not on their own behalf, but on behalf of the client. The client could be the state (state bodies), local authorities, as they are now called, or merchants, artisans, who were represented in many Greek and Roman cities. These people produced products mainly for sale, and they needed a herald to attract a buyer.

The oral form of advertising prevailed, and the heralds were usually considered professionals of a fairly high degree, in particular, in ancient Rome, the heralds were divided according to the nature of the orders they carried out. For example, there were heralds related to diplomacy, i.e. announcing the arrival of important guests, etc. The second type of heralds was less honorable, they belonged to the rank of private ones, and they pronounced such texts that informed the urban population of the most important operational information: business, commercial, political.

In addition to oral advertising, pictorial symbolization was also widely used, in particular, in the invention of symbolic signs that ancient artisans marked their products with. They left various images, mostly of a geometric nature. But it was so only at first, in the future these brand names become more complicated, and especially many similar samples have come down to us on pottery items, such as amphoras, vases. In general, there are four groups of images:

1) various objects, for example, a tripod, a hammer, a halberd;
2) plants: branches, wreaths, flowers;
3) animals, for example, a bull, an elephant, a dog, a horse, a lion;
4) images of deities in human form, which was very typical of antiquity.

Many of these emblems were accompanied by inscriptions, some of which were deciphered as the names of workshop owners or individual artisans.

Text advertising played a lesser role in antiquity than word of mouth, as most of the inhabitants of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece were illiterate. However, they could be guided to a lesser extent, since free citizens, of course, were literate and had the opportunity to read certain advertising inscriptions. These inscriptions of an advertising nature were placed by creating graffiti. "Graffiti" - this word comes from the Italian "graffito" - scrawled. Graffiti could be scratched on the walls or painted with paint, most often black or red. In order for graffiti to stand out better, they were placed on albums. The album is a white wall built specifically for advertisements.

The appearance of posters should also be attributed to the ancient period. In particular, in the excavated city of Pompeii, graffiti-style inscriptions were found on the walls, which are the progenitors of modern posters. The poster differs from the announcement in the degree of detail of information: the announcement should be brief, as if compressed, and the poster allows itself many details that will be of interest to the townspeople.

A broad definition, which, in our opinion, is a great advantage against the backdrop of many modern attempts to narrow the concept of advertising to its narrowly corporate, guild meaning. Popular dictionaries contain, as a rule, textbook truths, which are very useful not to lose in the heat of disputes.

Adherents of trade, commercial advertising behave most aggressively in theoretical disputes. Describing this branch of advertising, they do not want to know anything about other mighty branches of the advertising tree. Meanwhile, this tree is very branchy.

The definition of one of the branches - trade advertising - we will give without delay. This is "the popularization of goods with the aim of selling them, creating demand for them, familiarizing the consumer with the quality, features and place of sale of goods, explaining the ways of their consumption."

All over the world since ancient times, and in Russia since the 18th century, the branch of political advertising has confidently asserted itself. What means did she use and with what success? We will try to answer these questions.

The once flourishing religious advertising is resurgent in our society.

And what is the current abundance of announcements about the desire to meet or marry? Is this area compatible with what is traditionally referred to as the “service industry”? In our opinion, no.

Institute of heralds - the bottom of the most ancient institutions state power. These positions are recorded in various ancient states. On the European territory, tablets with a list of professions, where heralds are also listed, were found during excavations in the centers of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture dating back to the 14th century BC. What was the purpose of this profession? For the daily informing of large crowds of people, which were already the ancient cities.

In many cases, purely political appeals and denunciations were uttered under the guise of state orders - edicts. Of course, much more often the heralds informed the population of generally significant information: about honoring famous commanders, about embassies arriving in the city, about the next distribution of bread or a grandiose circus performance. In these ads, generally valid information is closely intertwined with advertising.

Heralds were also instructed to promptly notify the population about the summoning of citizens to court, about the verdicts passed and the upcoming executions. Over time, this area of publicity formed an offshoot of legal advertising, which has become so active and effective in our day.

shouts touted in places of constant supply of goods and services;
calls for pedlars, intermediaries in the provision of various services and wandering artisans;
The complex of advertising means included, in addition to oral-speech, various visual elements, including gestures and facial expressions, as well as the very organization of a spectacular action at the right time and place.

Let's touch here on the problem of advertising image, image. According to the general opinion of theorists, this structural element is the core of a real advertising text, which is formed even in a simple, concise text. The wider the set of involved, sometimes unconsciously symbolic means, the more diverse the possibilities for forming an expressive image.

Throughout the course of cultural development, we can trace a certain "desire" of advertising to expand its capabilities not only through the spheres of life that it covers, not only through attracting a particular audience, but through new symbolic, logical, material, technical methods and funds. Hence the constant desire of the creators of advertising, consciously or subconsciously, to integrate into their activities the creations of other areas of cultural life and civilization as a whole, to improve and diversify the appearance of advertising images.

In ancient Greece, there was a tradition to mark objects of pottery and art production with a brand name. Ownership signs were also used: the brand was burned not only on domestic animals, but also on "animate objects" - slaves.

In this regard, the method adopted by the ancient Romans to confirm the antiquity of the family through the wax masks of their ancestors deserves attention. These masks were an integral part of the interior in the dwellings of Roman aristocrats and were always present at the triumphal and religious processions that were so frequent in the life of the Romans.

Ancient Greece borrowed the alphabet from the Phoenicians. Together with the latter, the experience of monumental inscriptions was also borrowed.

Herodotus reports that in the era of the Greco-Persian wars, Darius, starting a campaign against Greece, set up “two pillars of white stone, from which on one Assyrian and on the other Hellenic letters were carved the names of all the peoples whom he led with him, and led he of all over whom he ruled. Here we again meet with a variant of political advertising - the glorification of the power of Darius in a way that appeals to both contemporaries and descendants. The emotional impact of monumental inscriptions was multiplied by illustrations.

The experience of such a combination of text and drawing is used in advertising activities up to the present.

The ancient city of Pompeii, preserved by the lava that flooded it, brought to us more than one and a half thousand such inscriptions. Among them, a wide variety of advertising texts are quite modern structure. The current advertising theorists, who are not familiar with ancient culture, are inclined to assert that the developed advertising activity began only with the birth of printing, i.e. not earlier than the middle of the 15th century. One cannot agree with this at all. Evidence of this is the abundance and functional variety of advertising items, the wealth of techniques and means inherent in ancient advertising. Advertising objects in it cover all spheres of life.

Thermae (antique baths) were also advertised, favorite place rest of the Roman citizens: "With the income of Faustina, the bath washes with city custom and offers all services." Another grafitti suggests renting a villa “A villa is good and soundly built. The employer must contact ... ". followed by a picture of the advertised housing.

The intensity of advertising and other mass information processes in the ancient city required specially designated places in the most visited quarters. In many ways, this served as a protective measure against the dominance of advertising, sometimes placed in the most inappropriate places. The city authorities warned: “It is forbidden to write here, woe to the one whose name will be mentioned here. May he have no luck."

So, advertising texts are not an invention of the New Age. Their origins go back to primitive antiquity. And in antiquity, an already developed advertising activity was born. Its main genre is oral announcements, which are a concentrated clot of operational generally useful information. The original form is “overgrown” with a rich set of verbal, sound, visual techniques that create advertising images (images) and specifically advertising texts, whose goal is to actively penetrate the psyche of a potential consumer, riveting his attention, awakening desires and expressions of will, pushing for actions that are beneficial for advertisers .

The origins of such phenomena as a poster, a poster, a trademark, advertising campaign also date back to antiquity. They acquire more distinct outlines in the era of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Advertising has its roots in ancient times. One of the first advertisements that has come down to us is considered to be an ancient Egyptian papyrus, which reports on the sale of a slave. A special place in the history of advertising is occupied by the institute of heralds, since it, in essence, is the first organization involved in advertising. The position of the herald is fixed in one form or another in various ancient states. For example, on the territory of present-day Europe, during excavations, tablets were found with a list of professions, where heralds also appear; These tablets date back to the 14th century. BC.

The profession of a herald served for the daily informing of large crowds of people in ancient cities. Heralds informed the population of generally significant information: about the honoring of the famous commanders, about the embassies arriving in the city, about the next distribution of bread or a grandiose circus performance. In these ads general information closely intertwined with advertising.

As is known, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the spiritual life of society manifested itself primarily in oral form. This is confirmed by the predominance of oral versions of advertising texts. Their constant part - the cries of merchants - subsequently stood out in a special genre. This area of advertising included a) barkers shouting at places where goods and services were constantly offered; b) calls for pedlars, intermediaries and wandering artisans in the provision of various services.

The origins of visual advertising are closely connected with the development of ornament, drawing, and sculpture by mankind. In ancient Greece, there was a tradition to mark pottery and art crafts with a brand name. Special signs of property (personal property) were also used: the brand was burned on domestic animals and on "animate objects" - slaves. This is how the development of iconic means - the methods of future advertising - took place.

In Antiquity, the role of political visual advertising was played by statues with laudatory inscriptions to rulers, generals, eminent citizens. Already in the early stages of cultural development, advertising began to appear in the form of a written text. Of course, this happened with the invention of writing itself, which in various regions of the globe dates back to 8-6 thousand BC. Herodotus reports that in the era of the Greco-Persian wars, Darius, starting a campaign against Greece, set up "two pillars of white stone, from which on one Assyrian and on the other Hellenic letters were carved the names of all the peoples whom he led with him, and led he of all over whom he ruled." Here we meet with a variant of written political advertising - the glorification of the power of Darius.

Antique advertising was very diverse. Advertising items covered almost all spheres of life. For example, "terms" were advertised, i.e. the ancient baths are the favorite resting place of the Roman citizens: Faustina's bathhouse washes according to the city's custom and offers all services on the income of Faustina. And this is how the "advertising song" intended for the women of the ancient city of Athens sounded: So that the eyes shine, so that the cheeks turn red, so that the girlish beauty is preserved for a long time, a reasonable woman will buy cosmetics at reasonable prices from Exliptos.

The turning point in the history of advertising was 1450 - the time of the invention by the German Johannes Gutenberg printing press. The advertiser no longer had to manually produce additional copies of their notices: now the creation of advertising has become cheaper, faster, easier and more automated. This brought the advertiser additional income.

Print advertising first appeared in England in 1478. In 1622 it received a powerful impetus in the form of the publication of the first newspaper on English language, which was called "Weekly News" ("News of the week"). There were advertisements for razor straps, patent medicines, and other consumer goods.

Advertising reached its peak in the USA. Benjamin Franklin is considered the father of American advertising. His "Newspaper", which appeared in 1729, achieved the largest circulation and the largest volume of advertising publications of all the newspapers of colonial America. Several factors contributed to America's transformation into the cradle of advertising. The main one is that American industry was leading the way in mechanizing production, which created an excess of goods on the shelves and made it necessary to convince buyers to consume more of them. The invention of radio, and later television, meant the emergence of two wonderful means of distributing advertising. There is a famous saying: "No ads American economy would fall apart in 15 seconds."

The institution of heralds is one of the oldest institutions of state power. These positions are recorded in various ancient states. On the European territory, tablets with a list of professions, which also include heralds, were found during excavations in the centers of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture dating back to the 14th century BC. What was the purpose of this profession? For the daily informing of large crowds of people, which were already the ancient cities.

In many cases, purely political appeals and denunciations were uttered under the guise of state orders - edicts. Of course, much more often, the heralds informed the population of generally significant information: about honoring famous generals, about embassies arriving in the city, about the next distribution of bread or a grandiose circus performance. In these announcements, generally valid information is closely intertwined with advertising.

Heralds were also instructed to promptly notify the population about the summoning of citizens to court, about the verdicts passed and the upcoming executions. Over time, this area of notification formed an offshoot of legal advertising, which has become so active and effective in our day.

According to culturologists, in antiquity and the Middle Ages, the spiritual life of society manifested itself primarily in oral form. This is confirmed by the predominance of oral versions of advertising texts. Their constant part is the shout of merchants - subsequently stood out as a special genre. This area of advertising included:
A) shouting barkers in places of constant supply of goods and services;
B) calls for peddlers, intermediaries in the provision of various services and wandering artisans;
The complex of advertising means included, in addition to oral speech, various visual elements, including gestures and facial expressions, as well as the very organization of a spectacular action at the right time and place.

Throughout cultural development, we can trace a certain “desire” of advertising to expand its capabilities not only through the areas of life that it covers, not only through attracting a particular audience, but through new sign, logical, material, technical methods and means. Hence the constant desire of the creators of advertising, consciously or subconsciously, to integrate into their activities the creations of other areas of cultural life and civilization as a whole, to improve and diversify the appearance of advertising images.

This process began in ancient times. The origins of visual advertising are closely connected with the development of ornament, drawing, and sculpture by mankind.

This is how the development of iconic means, methods of future advertising took place.

In this regard, the method adopted by the ancient Romans to confirm the antiquity of the family through the wax masks of their ancestors deserves attention. These masks were an integral part of the interior in the dwellings of the Roman aristocrats and were always present at the triumphal and religious processions that were so frequent in the life of the Romans.

Solemn processions also included a lot of advertising factors that integrated and interacted with each other: the recitation of laudatory verses, the demonstration of trophies obtained in battles, the cries of heralds calling for a spectacle.

Ancient Greece borrowed the alphabet from the Phoenicians. Together with the latter, the experience of monumental inscriptions was also borrowed.

Herodotus reports that in the era of the Greco-Persian wars, Darius, starting a campaign against Greece, set up “two pillars of white stone, from which on one Assyrian and on the other Hellenic letters were carved the names of all the peoples whom he led with him, but he led all over whom he ruled. Here we again meet with a variant of political advertising - the glorification of the power of Darius in a way that appeals to both contemporaries and descendants. The emotional impact of monumental inscriptions was multiplied by illustrations.

The experience of such a combination of text and drawing is used in advertising activities up to the present time.

Inscriptions scratched or inscribed with paint on the walls are called graffiti (from Latin graftio - I scratch).

The ancient city of Pompeii, preserved by the lava that flooded it, brought to us more than one and a half thousand such inscriptions. Among them are a variety of advertising texts of a completely modern structure. The current advertising theorists, who are not familiar with ancient culture, are inclined to assert that the developed advertising activity began only with the birth of book printing, i.e. not earlier than the middle of the 15th century. One cannot agree with this at all. Evidence of this is the abundance and functional variety of advertising items, the wealth of techniques and means inherent in ancient advertising. Advertising objects in it cover all spheres of life.

The baths (ancient baths), a favorite place of rest for Roman citizens, were also advertised: “The bath washes the city custom with Faustina’s income and offers all services.” Another grafitti suggests renting a villa “A villa is good and soundly built. The employer must contact ... ". followed by a picture of the advertised housing.

The intensity of advertising and other mass information processes in the ancient city required specially designated places in the most visited quarters. In many ways, this served as a protective measure against the over-power of advertising, sometimes placed in the most inappropriate places. The city authorities warned: “It is forbidden to write here, woe to the one whose name will be mentioned here. May he have no luck."

So, advertising texts are not an invention of the New Age. Their origins go back to primitive antiquity. And in antiquity, an already developed advertising activity was born. Its main genre is verbal announcements, which are a concentrated clot of operational general useful information. The original form is “overgrown” with a rich set of verbal, sound, visual techniques that create advertising images (images) and specifically advertising texts, whose goal is to actively penetrate the psyche of a potential consumer, riveting his attention, awakening desires and wills, pushing him to beneficial actions for advertisers.

The origins of such phenomena as a poster, a poster, a trademark, an advertising action also date back to antiquity. They acquire more distinct outlines in the era of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Advertising in the ancient world is a turning point in culture, directly affecting not only advertisers, but also journalists, any figures in mass communications. Because the emergence of advertising itself as an economic factor in the development of society is associated with the emergence of a civilization within which there was a differentiated system of knowledge, a single religion and a single law that applies to many peoples and ethnic groups that have different languages that require their translation and which is associated with the active formation of an urban culture.

The emergence at the stage of urbanism of some new information mechanism - the message of something for everyone living in a given urban-type settlement, without a specific address, is associated with quantitative parameters. The urban population (for example, in Rome or Babylon) could reach up to a million inhabitants, while the archaic settlements and rural communities numbered a maximum of three thousand people.

Life in the city was organized around three information centers: the center of power, where the administrative leadership was located (At the same time, the administrative apparatus can sit in different buildings of different configurations. Its essence is in managerial leadership in this urban community, which in antiquity - Greek and Roman - was called the word "polis"), a spiritual center - a temple (unlike pre-urban forms, it is created in the very "heart" of an urban settlement) and an economic center retail space, market.

No matter how diverse the concepts of the temple and the market look, it is nevertheless interesting to find that these seemingly diametrical formations - purely earthly and sublime - coexist. They follow each other very closely throughout all the centuries up to the New Age. Therefore, no matter how lofty the aspirations of those who visit the temple, what is necessary for survival is sold nearby for them. The market is a commercial and domestic concentration of interests of urban residents.

In antiquity, city criers became professional carriers of the advertising word. It was in the course of their activities that stable samples of advertising texts were developed, their typological structure was formed. The position of heralds is recorded by archaeological sources as early as the period of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture around the 14th century BC.

In ancient Greek policies, the position of herald had several branches:

1) The most important - they carried out diplomatic missions and were obligatory participants in various embassies. The fulfillment of this mission was very honorable and extremely responsible. Among the Lacedaemonians, for example, according to Herodotus, this position was inherited from father to son and it was erected to the legendary messenger of King Agamemnon - Talphibius.

2) City - in the Greek policies, the heralds were elected by the people's assembly by voting or by lot. In addition to their embassy functions, a less aristocratic layer of heralds was at the disposal of the city administration and informed the city population of the most important operational information, both business, commercial and political.

3) Market - the least prestigious layer of heralds served market sales, served with artistic troupes, was a client of private individuals.

The rank of a herald was demonstrated by his attire and attributes. The most privileged owned a rod - a caduceus, belonging to the messenger of the gods Mercury. But it was more convenient for ordinary city heralds to have some kind of sound instrument - a horn or a bell, whose call signs attracted people.

Heralds were engaged in informing a large number of people by shouting announcements, decrees, advertising messages. For example, the inhabitants of the ancient city were invited to come at a certain time to a certain place where a meeting, mass trade, or a performance of the city theater could take place. Often heralds informed people about new state orders. The purpose of announcements was not always simple information, sometimes heralds made political appeals and explained the beliefs of the then politicians. This is not even advertising, but rather PR. But more often than not, the heralds conveyed generally significant information to the population: about the embassies arriving in the city, about the next distribution of food or the planned theater production. Heralds were also instructed to promptly notify the population about the summoning of citizens to court, about the verdicts passed and the upcoming executions.

In addition to the heralds, traders in the bazaars, who needed to sell goods, were engaged in oral advertising. They realized that if they began to loudly invite customers, talking about the benefits of their products, they could quickly increase revenue.

The verbal cries of merchants gradually emerged as a separate form of advertising. This area included:

Loud cries of merchants in the markets;

Calls for distributors and intermediaries in the provision of various services and wandering artisans.

Also, the active role of heralds in ancient society was recorded by a wide range of artistic and literary works. For example, in the comedy of Aristophanes - a rare of them does without a character called the "herald". Famous historians constantly mention this position: Herodotus, Polybius, Tacitus, Plutarch, Suetonius.

If the features of oral advertising in antiquity can be judged from indirect data, then its pictorial forms partly came down to us directly. These are some examples of artistic signs and emblems of artisans, imprinted on a variety of pottery items. Signboards have come down to us in two versions: marble reliefs have been found that have a signboard character, and their pictorial counterparts, discovered during excavations of the city of Pompeii, which died under the lava of Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. The nature of the eruption was such that many objects of the ancient city were preserved, as it were, and not destroyed.

Painted signs found in Pompeii. The most common type of services in this city were taverns, gostiny yards, and taverns. Sources report that there were 20 taverns on the central street of the city, which was named by archaeologists the Stabieva Road and occupies 770 meters. In total, there were about 140 such establishments in Pompeii. It is clear that they competed, and the owners tried to decorate them in every possible way in order to charm and lure passers-by.

In addition to such pictorial signs in antiquity, subject and subject-symbolic variants were widely used. In the first case, the “sign” was the product itself, put on public display: sets of clay vessels near the potter’s shop or a bottle of incense on the perfumer’s window. Today, this way of displaying goods has been hidden behind display windows and unfolded in all its glory on in-store shelves.

Culturologists associate the second information revolution with the formation of written communication. Researchers differ in the chronological interpretation of the period of formation of writing. Tentatively, this is the VI millennium BC. e. The most ancient written materials have come down to us from the 4th millennium BC. e. But since developed writing belongs to these terms, it can be assumed that some time was spent on the formation of writing. The oldest written texts were found during excavations in the city of Sumer (Babylonia). They date back to about 3700 BC. e. This gives some historians of advertising the right to talk about six thousand years of its existence. In particular, this is the opinion of the German researcher Hans Buchli, the creator of a four-volume publication devoted to advertising and propaganda, which was published in Berlin in the 60s of the 20th century. The author calls his multi-volume work "Six thousand years of advertising", referring to the current two thousand years of modern times and those same four thousand years BC. e., which can be indicated as the period of the presence of written texts.

The main documentary evidence of the presence of graffiti are the inscriptions that were removed by archaeologists from the walls of Pompeii. Graffiti is the scratching by the inhabitants of the city on the walls of their opinions, appeals, or simply a statement about themselves that does not carry meaningful information. We can say that graffiti is a form of personal self-promotion.

An album has an even higher degree of professionalization in written advertising. The word "album" comes from the concept of "white". In the Roman era, the phenomenon of album - was an area on the city walls, on the spacious parts of the houses, which were whitewashed with white paint or lime so that current announcements were written on them. Near several columns of writing areas that made up the album, there was a vessel with black paint and a writing implement. The album was serviced by the "bleachers" assigned for this purpose. As soon as the white areas were completely covered with advertisements, the servants took up their duties, and the cleanly whitewashed wall again played the role of an advertising medium.

Another form of distribution of written announcements was papyrus and wax tablets. But they were a very expensive pleasure, therefore they were the privilege of the upper classes.

1) “Acta senatus” - “cases of the Senate”. The last orders of the Senate were written on a specially whitewashed wall. It was founded by Julius Caesar in 59 AD.

2) "Acta diurni populi romani" - "everyday affairs of the Roman people." It reported daily events, government orders, and part of the announcements, such as the death or divorce of famous residents. However, due to the limited means of circulation, only the privileged elite could order copies of this prototype newspaper. It was necessary not only to resort to the services of scribes, but also to find expensive parchment or papyrus for copying the text.

You should pay attention to the poster. Poster - a genre of advertising that was born in antiquity. This is a detailed message about an event taking place in the city, such as gladiator fights. It contained information about the organizers of the games, the time of the competition, the names of those fighting in pairs, as well as information about opponents. The texts were supported by the image of fighting gladiators. There were also theater posters with the names of the actors written in large print, and often with drawings of individual scenes from the performances. This is evidenced by fragments of the walls of Pompeii destroyed by the earthquake. Usually the production of posters resembled albums. These are inscriptions that were beautifully painted with red paint in places where a lot of people gathered: in the courtyards near the baths, on the walls of the theater, at the city gates, etc. However, versions of posters made on papyrus, which were sold by hand, are also known.

You can also talk about tattoos as proto-advertising - that is, about visual information addressed to any participant in the communication. Because they were designed to reflect the totality of personality traits: tribal affiliation, social rank, and individual traits.

Proto-advertising also includes the "wands of chiefs" - prototypes of scepters, symbolizing the power of their owners, as well as signs of property: a brand with which they marked various objects and livestock, and later - slaves and criminals. Even in tribal totems there was something reminiscent of advertising: animals were usually chosen as the patron of the tribe, which for the ancients was the personification of power, courage, intelligence and cunning. With some changes, these phenomena pass through the entire history of culture, and the best proof of this is modern brand names, brands (from the English “brand” - brand).

In the political advertising of antiquity, such a role was played by statues with laudatory inscriptions to rulers, generals, and famous citizens. Some of these statues were replicated in dozens of copies, confirming the greatness and glory of this or that figure and to promote his views.

Also noteworthy is the method adopted by the ancient Romans to confirm the antiquity of the genus through the wax masks of their ancestors. These masks were an integral part of the interior in the dwellings of Roman aristocrats and were always present at triumphal and religious processions. The quantity and perfection of the pictorial details of the mask reflected the antiquity of the family and the greatness of the victor's deeds.

Based on the foregoing, it should be concluded that professional advertising in the conditions of ancient cities is isolated from the syncretic forms of proto-advertising. Syncretism is a state of fusion, curtailment of the text, when it expresses a number of areas of activity and has a multifunctional character. Professional advertising of antiquity uses all common cultural sign means and their combinations. Its main genre is verbal announcements, which are a bunch of operational generally useful information. The original form is “overgrown” with a rich set of verbal, sound, visual techniques that create images (images) of expanded advertising texts. Their goal is to increasingly influence the psyche of a potential consumer, recipient, riveting his attention, awakening desires and expressions of will, pushing him to actions that are valuable for advertisers. The origins of such genres as the poster, the poster, the trade mark, the promotion date back to antiquity.

It should be noted that experts in the Middle Ages divide it into three periods of different duration. This is the early Middle Ages - from the 5th to the 10th centuries, the developed Middle Ages - from the 11th to the 14th centuries. and late Middle Ages ("Renaissance") XV-XVI centuries. The period of the early Middle Ages is characterized by the almost complete fading of advertising means and individual functions that emerged in antiquity. This is explained by the collapse of the economy in those days and even by such a process as deurbanization, i.e., the decline of pre-existing cities to a lower level. As a result, advertising texts that began to take shape in antiquity did not find further development at that time. The whole variety of communication flows is fading in its own way due to the crisis experienced by most regions Western Europe. This time is characterized by the collapse of previously lively trade relations and the decline of urban life. Thus, the process of deurbanization leads to a decrease in the need for mass communication and advertising as a way of expressing it.

In the first period, in practice, there was mainly confessional advertising, i.e., religious actions (mainly in the form of church holidays). Departures of the Christian cult are gradually increasing the elements of demonstrativeness. Thus, a luxurious frame is created for the relics, the relics are placed in reliquaries or reliquaries, temples, liturgical vestments, church utensils become more and more magnificent. Religious processions, as it were, advertise Christian saints, especially the most revered ones. These components, glorifying or even imposing a set of religious ideas at the next stage - the stage of the developed Middle Ages - form the channel of real confessional advertising.

Later - in the developed Middle Ages, at the beginning of the developed Middle Ages, feudal relations were increasingly strengthened, just as the previously lost trade relations, and the administrative and cultural functions of cities, became more and more lively. First of all, this has to do with oral advertising, which was predominant in the Middle Ages in conditions of low literacy. Looking back at antiquity, the functions of heralds began to revive, and already in the 12th century. the functions of heralds were strictly outlined by legislative rules and regulated. Somewhat later - in the XIII century. - Professional associations of heralds already existed. In 1258, Philip Augustus, King of France, issued an ordinance requiring the mandatory entry of heralds into the corporation. Thus, the heralds enjoyed not only the attention of the first persons of the kingdom, but their activities were sufficiently regulated. In addition, often merchants and artisans were forbidden to perform the functions of barkers themselves. The English statute of the time stated: “If anyone needs to sell something, he must notify about it through a herald who is approved by the count's governor ... no one has the right to advertise anything with his cry. If someone does so, the governor has the right to bring him to court and fine. The second time, all his property may be taken away from him.

Oral advertising of the Middle Ages also includes not only announcements transmitted through heralds, but also through heralds. Heralds often performed almost the same role, but not in cities, but in feudal estates. The only difference is that the heralds were intended mainly for announcements of spectacular events or administrative events. The heralds announced the tournaments, and their activity was semi-nomadic, because they had to deliver messages about the proposed jousting tournaments to all the nearest settlements.

Then folklore types of oral advertising develop. These are the cries of the streets, that is, operational current announcements about goods, services of traveling merchants, artisans; magicians and other circus performers. From time to time, these cries of the streets were suppressed by the authorities of a particular city, however, they were not completely eradicated, and this is evidenced by the collections of oral advertising texts available in European countries: "Screams of Paris", "Screams of London", "Screams of Rome".

Another type of folklore advertising is the "appeal" of special barkers of shops, taverns, wine and other sales. In rare cases, heralds acted as barkers, but in usual cases the barkers came from taverns, shopkeepers and their clerks. Fair folklore also has its place here, since in the XI-XII centuries. and further there were special fairs in many cities of France, Germany, European capitals and ordinary cities.

In the developed Middle Ages, the use of guild and trade emblems became common practice, in particular, merchant guilds played the first role in the advertising process of that time. By the time they were the first professional associations V medieval Europe who developed their own stamp and created their own distinctive signs. They first appeared in England in the 11th century. Most often, the merchants' guild adopted as its own emblem the image of the saint whom it especially revered, for example, for Venetian merchants it was the image of St. Mark, for shoemakers - the image of St. Christine, for wool merchants - the image of St. Basil. The earliest documented record of a medieval trademark in England dates back to 1266, at which time bakers were required by royal decree to brand their products. Later, in the 14th century, bottle manufacturers were forced to stamp their products. Thus, it becomes clear that the state again acts as a regulator of the advertising process and protects the interests of ordinary citizens. So, according to contemporaries, it was assumed that if one of the craftsmen produces products and marks them with his sign, and this product is popular, then if another artisan begins to put exactly the same signs or very similar marks on his products, then the people will think about that these signs denote the first artisan, i.e., who secured a positive image among the population. As a result, the interests of the population will be damaged.

There were certain restrictions and traditions, including the color used for symbolic figures. For example, in the treatise of Bartolo de Sassoferrato, attention is drawn to the hierarchy of colors, in particular, it says: “The golden color is more noble than others, and it depicts the sun. There is nothing nobler than light. The scarlet color is noble; it means fire. The third color is blue; it means air. White color is nobler than black; black is the lowest color.

In the developed Middle Ages, guild advertising improved, in particular, “collective” guild actions appeared, during which the guild demonstrated its cohesion, corporatism. Religious and guild actions were combined, resulting in a citywide national holiday, in the center of which was a crowded procession with members of corporations. Members of corporations were more often with their families, dressed up and decorated according to the requirements of the fashion of that time (there were so-called kleinods - shop emblems embroidered on the clothes of shop masters). The procession was also attended by representatives of the clergy.

At the same time, religious advertising is activated. The buildings of the temples are increasingly decorated, as well as the interior decoration. Brilliant artists of that time are invited to decorate temples, often they mark their work with signs of their authorship - signatures encrypted in monograms and signatures. At the same time, the process of demonstrativeness is supplemented by the inclusion in the plots of religious paintings of images of donors, i.e. those people who paid for a church order or donated an ordered painting to a temple. In addition, visual advertising was manifested not only in confessional advertising through frescoes and other picturesque paintings, but also directly on city streets. In particular, the city authorities instructed Leonardo da Vinci to depict hanged political criminals on the walls. These episodes give a picture of the existence of the direct predecessor of the political poster genre in the life of medieval society.

Medieval engraving was of great importance for the printing that appeared later; it is the forerunner of poster forms of advertising. An approximate chronology of the appearance of engraving technique in Western Europe is the beginning of the 13th century. Initially, woodcuts were the most popular: these were prints that appeared as a result of the use of engraving forms. First of all, here in question about confessional advertising, in particular, after the image of the corresponding saint there was a text about the remission of sins previously committed by the pilgrim. The heyday of engraving communication occurs in the late Middle Ages, but already from the 14th century. paper has fallen in price and allows more free replication of woodcut prints, their wider distribution. For the manufacture of engravings for such prints, well-known artists of that time are attracted - Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach.

They began to use not only wooden boards as a base, but also metal sheets for the main image. In turn, the metal base made it possible to improve the fineness of the carving, to designate light and shade transitions, and also made it easier to supplement the drawings with verbal accompaniments. Further, the development of engraving went to an ever greater semantic load of the verbal text. Thus, in woodcut prints, the word played a leading role, explaining, and the image an advertising role, which conveyed to any illiterate viewer the vital idea contained in the whole work. As a result, there was very little left before the typographic method of replication, that is, the entire text cut out could be divided into separate letters, letters, and then they could be combined in the desired way.

Although in the XV-XVI centuries. on the territory of Western Europe, oral forms of advertising still continue to lead, yet more and more advertising is becoming visual. One of the forms of such visualization is colorful pictorial signs. Back in 1393, the English King Richard II issued a decree that obliged all merchants to hang identification marks on their homes, either in the form of heraldic brackets or picturesque signboards. In this regard, the demand for the skills of artists and goldsmiths is increasing. On many signboards, loyal merchants placed parts of the royal coat of arms, in particular, in France it was a white heart. However, later the colorful figures of signboards began to complement the lettering, i.e., the experience of written advertising in the Middle Ages becomes more and more significant. If the sign had a two-sided image, then this means that it was attached to the wall with a bracket. Such fastening becomes characteristic of the narrow streets of Western European medieval cities.

At the same time, such a peculiar genre of written advertising as a sequel was practiced. This Latin turn means "if anyone" - this is a typical beginning of a medieval announcement. Such notes arose with the appearance in the XIV century. relative to cheaper paper. They could be pasted on the walls of administrative buildings, near inns. In addition, some placed them on the doors of temples, which was severely persecuted by the clergy. At the end of the Middle Ages, in addition to these sheets, posters began to be pasted - detailed verbal texts, often framed by frames, vignettes, symbolic images. Itinerant acting groups were the first to master this form of advertising (they also announced their arrival by loud processions through the streets). The spectacular posters they were interested in, often not quite literate, were most often seen at inns and post stations. Later they were called posters.

A handwritten catalog becomes a kind of new means of advertising. In particular, the researchers found a handwritten catalog of commercially available manuscripts dating back to 1447. Thus, the appearance of various types of written products, including leaflets and posters, became one of the incentives for the invention of printing and the formation of a new stage in advertising.

The beginning of typography dates back to different years with a slight difference in them. For example, information is given about the beginning of printing by Johannes Gutenberg in 1445, 1450 and 1452. Regardless of this, with the advent of typographic text, a new advertising medium appears. In particular, the flying leaf, which appeared in the developed Middle Ages, becomes printed. The printed flyer was often edged with an engraved frame. Sometimes a graphic illustration was included in the content of the printed sheet. This is especially characteristic of polemical confessional leaflets during the period of religious reformation, when the Catholic Church in the late Middle Ages received a kind of cruel blow from new reformist trends.

Among the objects of print advertising, the first place is occupied by typographic messages about available book novelties and sets of operational and brief news in flyers. Thus, such an advertising tool as a printed ad appears and actively develops, which gradually replaces the handwritten sequel. At a later time, the text of the announcement is converted into a more detailed listing of the latest editions. At the same time, new printed advertising genres are created - a catalog, a prospectus and a price list (currently a price list). For example, an announcement by Peter Schaeffer, Gutenberg's successor at Mainz, which was printed in 1470, listed 21 books with annotations in the style of modern prospectuses. Around the same 1470, Roman publishers supplied advertisements with price and circulation data. Among the publishers of Rome and publishers of other cities, the catalog begins to receive the greatest distribution, since after the publication of the catalog the ordinary book is in demand, and its sale is no longer limited to the walls of the printing house. The printed catalog arose primarily as a means of publishing, and only then of commercial advertising.

The next development after the advent of printed ads, catalogs, brochures, price lists was the appearance of printed posters and flyers. Flyers and posters often differed little from each other in both format and content. They differed mainly in the place of placement: if flying sheets were distributed from hand to hand, then posters were constantly pasted in one or another popular place. For example, in port cities, these could be the walls of portside taverns, in other cities - any public buildings or private ones, in the appropriate place. The posters were usually tediously detailed, including both theater and circus posters. Both there and there were detailed descriptions of the action that was to take place. Usually the poster consisted of a verbal part, executed in a typographical way, and a woodcut image. This is typical for all typographically executed posters of Western Europe of the 16th-17th centuries.

The meticulousness of verbal information is preserved in the corresponding advertising until the second half of the 19th century. The next innovation of that time was the typographic emblems printed on books owned by certain publishing houses. In particular, in the XV century. the most famous emblem of the printer was the brand of the Venetian publishing house Alda Manutia, his books were so popular in Europe that some printing houses began to issue their books as belonging to this publishing house. Then Aldus Manutius turned to the readers with a printed text, which said: “They are currently printing, as far as I know, in Leon in fonts very similar to ours ... Without the name of the printer, without indicating the time and year when they were completed. On the contrary, on our copies, readers will find this: "In Venice, the house of Alda" and the year of publication. Besides, there is no special mark on those books; on ours is a dolphin wrapping around an anchor.”

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Similar Documents