Most advertising in ancient times was word-of-mouth, that is, people liked something and told others about it. But even then, people advertised by putting inscriptions on walls, for example to display political slogans and to offer household goods for sale. Also,, in Rome and Greece, in ancient times, it was common for people to use papyrus, a kind of paper, to advertise things they had lost or found. Papyrus was also used for posters to advertise political campaigns. Many traces of these advertisements have been found in the ruins of Pompeii, a city destroyed by a volcano which erupted in 79AD. The tradition of wall or rock painting as a way of advertising goods is even more ancient and examples can still be found in parts of Asia, Africa and South America.
Printing developed in the 15th and 16th centuries, and this increased the forms of advertising. Handbills - small printed notices and advertisements - became common. Then, by the 17th century, advertisements started appearing in weekly newspapers in England, including classified adverts for personal goods and services. In the 19th century mail order catalogues appeared, promoting all kinds of goods.
Finally, the 1960s were a key period in the development of advertising. Advertisements became more creative and more interesting. Also, they began to draw attention to the 'unique selling points', the USPs of products. These are the qualities that make a product different from competitors' products.
These days, advertisers have come up with new ways of promoting their products. For example, product placement is now common.