The Foundation of Newspaper and Magazine Advertising in America

When I started thinking of the foundation of print advertising, I saw it through the eyes of America. Research says that first American newspaper advertisement ran in The Boston News-Letter in 1704, begun by postmaster John Campbell. The newspaper advertisement was an announcement seeking a buyer for an estate on Oyster Bay, Long Island. At this time, the newspapers were heavily subsidized by the government and with little circulation were nearly a failure.

Two newspapers made their appearance in the 1720’s. Around 1729, a key figure in colonial American advertising was Benjamin Franklin who was the publisher of The Pennsylvania Gazette. Benjamin “changed advertising style by including simple illustrations to accompany the words” in his newspaper ads. Read More



In 1742 Benjamin Franklin printed the first American magazine ad which appeared in General Magazine. Benjamin Franklin was known as a key figure in American advertising who helped convince the public to buy his ideas as well as products in his magazine publications also. People say he was the saint of advertising. Resource

It is amazing when looking at the history of print advertising. My focus for this blog is America but it is important to note that America was behind the times in forms of print advertising in newspapers. For example, in the 17th century, advertisements began to appear in weekly newspapers in England (1625). In 1631 a French newspaper started carrying classified ads. Media History

Newspaper and magazine advertising are only two forms of advertising that started in America in the 18th century. I did not touch on clay tablets, word-of-mouth advertising, town carriers, notice boards, posters, enamel signs, and many other forms of advertising from BC to the 1900’s. I look forward to expanding my advertising blog to millenniums ago.