The Influence of the Industrial Revolution and Advent of Colonization to the Advertising Practices in the Philippines

Sheryl Mae G. Matucad

2017-100221

The Influence of the Industrial Revolution and Advent of Colonization to the Advertising Practices in the Philippines

The Industrial Revolution in the West honed the structure and foundation of modern advertising and the countries at the forefront of the revolution were the first to witness the shift in modern advertising practices. The advertising landscape adapted accordingly as the emergence of capitalism and urbanization and the direction of the free market dictated fierce competition.

Promotions and advertising shifted from a purely informational communication to a strategic way of capturing the market’s attention. This is critical as capitalists and manufacturers have introduced products and services outside the everyday necessities, thus creating a new wave of consumer culture. They have created demand and the consumer reacted and made way for the importance of premium branding.  

By way of its time, the colonizing countries held great influence in spreading culture, religion, and commercial practices. Though there are evidences of early product promotions in the pre-colonized Philippines, the advertising discipline in the country proliferated and had been properly documented during the Spanish and American era.

However due to the immaturity of the local market and dependence on the trade partnership with the USA, advertising in the country took time in fully adopting the developing robust advertising practices in the West, primarily in the USA. In the first few years after the turn of the century, ads and copies remain informational and local advertising discipline remain one-man operations compared to the USA where advertising was a full-fledged industry. But as the masses gained access to promotional and advertising vehicles such as periodicals, and the focus of product and services promotions expands from solely the Class A and B market, advertising in the Philippines has taken its root and flourished. Governing bodies were formed and the advertising business moved from straightforward “space brokers” to end-to-end provider of advertising services.

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