The Primary Themes Of Telephone Advertising In The 20th Century

Since the invention of the telephone, companies have predominantly advertised it from a business perspective. While the telephone has undergone a plenitude of developments and transformations, the primary themes of telephone advertisements - price and business - has not changed much over the entirety of the 20th Century. In the early 20th century, it was a method of introducing the telephone to society and convincing the public that this was a luxury they needed. In the 1990s, telephone advertisements continue to use pricing as the primary theme, but using low costs to promote and differentiate between different service providers. Although telephones are commonly used and thought of for social purposes, the vast majority of telephone service

After World War I, businesses and households were encouraged by advertisements to call family and send holiday greetings using long-distance calling (Fischer, Page 69). By the 1990s, similar advertisements are rare. A possible explanation for this is that telephone companies can no longer use the novelty of human connection as an effective theme in its advertisements. By the late 20th Century, phone calls have been a very established part of the social norm; most people in American society are aware of the plenitude of telephone usages from business to personal correspondence. People may no longer as amazed by what telephones can do anymore, especially with other technological advancements like emails and instant messaging during the same era. Instead, they may focus on low pricing and other monetary incentives to encourage and re-generate interest in making phone calls. An advertisement from Cellular One in the Daily Herald Suburban Chicago from January 31st, 1997, is almost identical to one from March 28th, 1997. The only difference is that the advertisement from January features a heart graphic; “free heart shaped box of assorted chocolates for your valentine with each phone purchased.” Even in an advertisement with a supposedly sentimental theme, telephone

People were no longer restricted to landlines or person-to-person interactions, enabling a huge communications revolution. And so, by the 1990s, with the beginning of the proliferation of cell phones and the firm inclusion of the telephone as part of American culture and society, phone companies may prioritize advertising low costs and targeting a younger audience to promote the cool, trendiness of cell phones. The only advertisement to feature an image of a person was in the Daily Herald Suburban Chicago from February 1st, 1997. It features an in-your-face image of a matronly woman and the tagline “Call your mother…” This advertisement encourages users to call relatives as the rates they’re offering are so low, and can be seen as an attempt to appeal to a younger