Timeline of Famous Ads & Marketing Campaigns

From ancient Roman wall paintings to Apple's "1984" Super Bowl commercial, advertising has evolved dramatically over millennia.

With iconic campaigns like "Got Milk?", Volkswagen's "Think Small", and Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" building out a remarkable timeline in recent history.

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PRE-1950S

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Spanning from the late 19th to mid-20th century, marked the birth of modern advertising and marketing techniques.

It saw the rise of innovative distribution methods like mail-order catalogs, the power of memorable slogans, celebrity endorsements, branded design, and emotive wartime propaganda.

1875: Montgomery Ward releases the first mail-order catalog
1888: Kodak launches with the slogan "You press the button, we do the rest"
1904: Fatty Arbuckle becomes one of the first celebrities to endorse a product (Murad cigarettes)
1920s: "Say it with flowers" campaign for Florists' Telegraph Delivery (FTD)
1928: Walt Disney creates the first animated advertisement with sound for Opeko Coffee
1935: Penguin Books introduces its iconic color-coded book design
1942: "Rosie the Riveter" appears in Westinghouse Electric ads
1947: DeBeers launches "A Diamond is Forever" campaign

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1950S - 1970S

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This was the golden age of advertising, characterized by iconic campaigns that tapped into cultural shifts and mass media's growing influence.

Memorable characters, catchy slogans, and groundbreaking creative approaches emerged.

1955: Marlboro Man debuts
1958: "Have a Break, Have a KitKat" slogan introduced
1959: The seductive "Flake Girl" cadbury ad campaign begins
1962: "Think Small" VW Beetle campaign launches
1968: "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" Virginia Slims campaign
1971: "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" commercial airs
1973: Smash Martians campaign begins
1974: "Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach"; Skittles first ad‍
1979: "Where's the Beef?" Wendy's campaign begins

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1980S - 1990S

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This era marked a period of bold, innovative advertising that leveraged the power of television and emerging pop culture to create unforgettable campaigns.

1983: Apple's "1984" Super Bowl commercial
1984: Levi's "Laundrette" ad
1985: Coca-Cola's "New Coke" campaign (and subsequent return to Classic Coke)
1988: Nike's "Just Do It" slogan introduced; Butterfinger ad launches a with the Simpsons
1988: Reese's introduces it ad "No wrong way to eat Reese's"