Marketing has invaded every part of our lives, but it developed relatively recently, not emerging until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A lot has changed since then, with strategies shifting from outbound marketing that “interrupts the consumer” to inbound marketing, which is focused on understanding them. The market speaks, and it’s up to professionals to identify the needs of consumers — and then sell to them.
Since first successful national marketing campaigns made their way out of Madison Avenue our society has learned to respect the value marketing brings to a firm. Now more than ever, marketing has cemented its role as not only an asset to sales, but to customer acquisition, relationship management and retention.
From the very first radio ad in 1922 to the age of the Internet, marketing has responded to consumer behavior and moved deftly from trend to trend. Take a look to see where marketing is now, as well as just how far it has come.