2022 is wrapping up and 2023 is on its way! For this week’s blog, we’ve scoured the internet for interesting marketing and advertising trivia. Use this trivia to dazzle friends and family at a New Year’s Eve party or dominate in trivia-based board games. Or, you know, just read it for fun! Whatever the case may be, here are 23 pieces of marketing trivia to ring in 2023:
- One of the first examples of print advertising comes from around 3000 B.C.E. It was a flyer looking for a lost slave.
- One of the first examples of poster advertising comes from Pompeii. It was a series of mosaic patterns advertising fish sauce.
- The oldest surviving English print ad is from around 1476 or 1477.
- Street criers were a popular form of advertising during the Middle Ages because most of the population was illiterate.
- An English potter named Josiah Wedgewood is credited as having begun direct mailing.
- The first American newspaper ad was printed in 1704.
- The first brand mascot is thought to be the Quaker Man of Quaker Oats from 1877.
- Mr. Peanut was originally drawn by a 14-year-old boy named Antonio Gentile, who entered a contest hosted by Planters. He was paid $5 for the drawing.
- The original Jolly Green Giant wasn’t jolly—his laugh and softened appearance were added later to make him appear friendly.
- The first radio advertisement aired in August 1922. It was for a real estate developer in New York City.
- The first commercial jingle is thought to be a song by Wheaties from 1926.
- Lots of famous musicians got their start in music by writing advertising jingles.
- Barry Manilow wrote State Farm’s jingle and Band-Aid’s jingle.
- The first television commercial aired in 1941 during a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. It was for Bulova Watches.
- Diamonds are associated with engagements because of a campaign launched by DeBeers in 1948.
- Cigarette advertisements were banned from U.S. television and radio in 1970.
- Michael Jackson re-wrote some lyrics to Billie Jean for a Pepsi ad in 1984.
- The first registered domain name was Symbolics.com and it was registered in 1985.
- Facebook was founded in 2004.
- 2004 was also the year the most expensive television commercial was made. It was for Chanel and it starred Nicole Kidman. By today’s dollar value, the total would be $51.9 million.
- The first tweet was posted to Twitter in 2006 by creator Jack Dorsey.
- The first photo posted to Instagram was of a dog.
- YouTube is the #2 search engine, and Google is #1.
We hope you enjoyed these bits of marketing trivia! Everyone at Bold River Marketing would like to wish you a happy and prosperous new year! (And speaking of prosperous, one way that your small business can prosper is through marketing. If you’re interested in using some of our marketing services, give us a call. We’d love to hear from you!)