Today’s marketing tactics have drastically evolved over the last few hundred years and, luckily, most of these changes have been for the better. But in order to appreciate the present, we must first appreciate the past.
Think about what marketing looked like only a few centuries ago. In the past, consumers were limited to doing business with whatever vendors they could reach by foot or horse. These limitations meant that businesses didn't need marketing as customers had no choice but to shop with them.
But as technology improved, goods and information could be transported vast distances quickly, giving consumers more choice in who they shopped with. Marketing quickly became a way businesses could differentiate themselves from the competition and convince consumers to purchase their goods and services.
This kicked off a whirlwind of change. Marketing moved from word of mouth to print to TV and radio and finally to the Internet. And today, marketers can reach millions of users with just a few clicks — quite different from their early predecessors.
In this interactive timeline, we’ll explore the many ways marketing has evolved in the last five centuries. From the printing press to the death of third-party cookies, here’s the inclusive marketing technology timeline every marketer needs to know.