Why is it important to study the History of Commercial Communication ?

1. Why is it important to study the History of Commercial Communication? Mercedes Montero School of Communication University of Navarra

2. Introduction • I want to discuss some concrete examples of the influence of commercial communication in recent history. I endeavour to show: • The training of future professionals should not be confined to purely technical and economic aspects of the world of advertising, • It should also include deeper consideration of the cultural impact of the persuasive forms of communication. • Because this will greatly enrich the teaching of our subject, as we come to focus on their influence within the mesh of social, cultural, political and other trends that make up the world today.

3. 1920s: Advertising and cultural change • United States, ‘roaring twenties’ • Advertising and real life offered the same thing: a clean, ordered existence in which every need had a product guaranteed to meet it. But: • Race • Social class. • WASP vision of the world. Ethnic minorities were out.

4. 1980s: advertising and postmodern sensibility • In the mid-1980s Apple did not stop at sending technology – it also spread a new social awareness: utopian liberating and with a message of democratisation. • Advertising of Macintosh offered productivity and ‘quality’. • The interface between cultural vitality and advanced technology is the most important dimension of the postmodern sensibility.

5. 1990s: Advertising as the mirror of society • 500 advertisements awarded in San Sebastian in the 1990s provided a cultural radiograph of Spain. • Issues continued to be present: Catholic religion, Spanish stereotypes. • New ideas: • men doing tasks and having attitudes formerly regarded as female. • the call to individualism and independence, specifically targeting the young • other democratic values, such as support for groups on the fringes of society, rejection of pompousness and overbearing behaviour, condemnation of xenophobia and racism, and the promotion of tolerance and peace.

6. 1990s: Advertising as the mirror of society (II) • “Anticipated socialisation”: • Homosexuality • Eutanasia. • All of this reflects a Spain in which massive social changes were taking place. If advertising is a mirror we are witnessing a set of shared values that are very different from those that would have been found just 15 years earlier.

7. The references of a society in crisis • Institutional campaign (and cinematographic) “The New York Miracle. Be a part of it” sponsored by the New York City Council after 9-11 to restore the city’s spirit and persuade North American to visit it. • Spectacular results: • By December: tourism only 10% lower than previous year, on New Year’s Eve in Times Square • In April: Broadway, symposia, meetings and conventions returning to its normal figures.

8. The references of a society in crisis • Tocqueville about the USA: • The equality in fortunes, in the possession of land, in political rights, equality even in intelligence. • Creatives designed a product for the culture and mentality of their fellow citizens. The use of film celebrities could be considered the right choice.

9. The History of commercial communication: US vs. Europe • The history of the discipline is traditionally led by North American bibliography, and tends to ignore other points of view. • Even though it is impossible to regard Europe as a unified social, cultural and political system, it would be feasible to differentiate between Europe and the USA. • In this sense, the historical study of our discipline could help us to find out about the role of commercial communication in the construction of the European identity and in the configuration of the culture and mentality of each country.

10. The history of commercial communication project at the University of Navarra • The history of commercial communication in Spain has scarcely been studied. What has been done to date is very partial in nature. It fails to offer a proper overview of the history of advertising in its social and cultural context. Moreover, it provides neither graphic material nor oral testimony. • This project aims to open up an area of research which will be a pioneer within Spain. It will also approach the history of commercial communication from the point of view of their ability to form mentalities and promote social cohesion or disintegration. • Taking into account the profound changes that occurred in Spain in the last quarter of the 20th century, we believe that it is essential to sketch out as clearly as possible the influence which persuasive communication had in these developments.