Classified Advertising Through The Years-00-4838

By Author: 4Ps--Marketing
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In newspapers they usually consist of small text, with the exception of cars and missing pets; they are usually without a photograph. The internet, however, is home to numerous types of classified adverts, many will feature photographs and more detailed descriptions.

A contact name, number and sometimes an address is given, along with details of what is being sold, offered or wanted. The articles will usually appear under a heading that describes the adverts i.e. Lost Items or Goods Wanted. Classified adverts in newspapers are either found in the centre or the back of the publication or as a separate supplement, and prices range depending on the publication. Classified advertising on the internet is often free as websites will generate an income through companies advertising on their website and the websites that charge will sometimes take a percentage of the sale for adverts that are selling items.

The power of the written word actually dates back to the time when people only had stone to carve into. England in the 15th century boasts the first examples of what we now call classified advertising, with adverts ...
... placed in public places that were simply nailed to walls and posts in the streets. When we think of classified adverts today we automatically think of newspapers and more recently the internet, but the basic theme of communicating articles that are wanted to buy, sell, find or give away has taken many forms over the years.

The first set of adverts were mainly from people searching for lost property, and the trend grew in popularity and quickly picked up pace, and by the 17th century the first classified advert in a newspaper appeared in a publication named the Boston News-Letter. The advert was actually an advert within an advert as it was requesting that readers should inform the newspaper if they wished to use a classified advertising service for listing houses, merchandise or goods via the paper.

Within a few months the innovative concept caught on around the rest of the world. Lost and found adverts had also joined the scene by the 18th century as did the idea of offering rewards to those who found lost belongings. Unfortunately, classified advertising also played a more sinister role in America in the 1800s when people used them for finding slaves who had run away from their so-called ‘masters'. These adverts even included instructions on how to punish the slave as well as what would be paid for their return.

As times changed so did the nature of classified advertising. As slavery became less accepted, former slaves used classified adverts to search for missing family members thought to have been part of the trade. After the potato famine in Ireland, many emigrated away from the country and families were unable to trace them so classified adverts appeared in whole new sections entitled ‘information wanted' or something similar.

By the 20th century, newspapers were found all over the world in many forms with tabloids and broadsheets all vying for readership. The classified adverts that appeared in the different versions of newspapers were specifically aimed at their readers. Nowadays everything from missing pets and cars for sale to free giveaways and articles wanted can be found through classified adverts. The introduction of the internet has revolutionised the way we absorb media and advertising is proving to be no exception.

About the Author:

Whether you are looking to buy or sell something, classified ads are a great way to do it. The Burton Mail offers both ordinary http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonmail-classified/ and http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonmail-classified/ and with an offline circulation of 13221, you can be certain that your ad will be noticed.