Marketing has persisted for several centuries. Back in the day town criers yelled out the latest news and developments. Then, in time, posters appeared, pressed against walls like bees on honey. These posters held all kinds of news: the latest attractions, wanted criminals, new plays in the closest theatre, and news on shocking or fascinating events. Later down the line newspapers rose and advertisers and marketers made their marks on the ink-filled pages and in the eyes and minds of many readers. For over a decade news papers were the main source of information and advertisements. Then came the radio. With this new invention people could hear fantastical stories and listen to current events while drinking a cup of coffee and sitting with the family at the dinner table. Suddenly, television made its appearance. People saw events live and saw movies market themselves through commercials. Today marketing has gone a whole new level.
With the invention of computers marketing has become a race of "Who has the best of the best?" Does the cover look good? Is the trailer heart wrenchingly incredible? Does the advertisement on the side of the webpage catch the user's eye? These are questions that were not asked one hundred years ago, but are pertinent to today's technological utopia. Marketing is everywhere, not just in television screens or billboards or radio. Now Facebook, Pandora, Twitter, Spotify and other websites have the latest trend available for users. With this new wave of advertisement books are also seeing themselves marketed just as often as movies are. Television commercials present new book releases of famous authors and Barnes and Nobles sends out e-mails to all its members lists full of new popular book names hitting the shelves. The covers themselves have become oriented towards the readers of interest. If it's for teenagers the book is flashy with a large title and colorful images on the front, if it's a self-help book the cover is maneuvered accordingly.
Marketing has evolved from simple word of mouth to a blown out version of criers in web version. There is nothing people don't know about and if they don't know about it one simple look at the various online sites will provide all the information needed. Technology is both a blessing and a curse, but businesses who know how to maneuver their way through the online community know just how much of a blessing it can be.
All of this is incredibly true, and it's fascinating to see the evolution of a selling point. There is virtually no where you can go without hearing an advertisement, so much so that you don't even notice that they are there anymore. It makes me think of the McDonald's commercial that took over Pandora radio a month or two ago, with this eerie man's voice saying "Fishy, fishyyyy" to advertise a new fish wrap or sandwich the business was offering. I'm not even sure what they were selling but that chant was in my head all day long and I can still hear it. Companies thrive to be catchy, appealing, addicting almost and it makes you wonder if it was always like that or if it was more innocent in the past. Obviously the need to grad our attention has become more crucial because there are so many distractions in our world today. The good thing about marketing is that no matter what it will always be a profession, the interesting thing is that it will continue to be a craftier and craftier one.
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