WATANI International
11 January 2009
Leafing through the pages of a modern-day paper, Suzanne Abed caught herself asking: What if a paper carried no advertisements? It would definitely shrink in size, she thought. It would appear less appealing and more boring. Readers would find it hard to learn about new products and special offers. Ms Abed decided to delve into the subject and find out what our grandfathers did to advertise their products.
Being one of the staff responsible for the online archive Memory of Modern Egypt Digital Archive: http://modernegypt.bibalex.org, launched by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), Ms Abed talked the matter over with Khaled Azab, the executive controller of the project. They decided to include in the Memory an archive of the advertisements published in
Unique collection
The Memory of Modern Egypt project is a huge digital archive covering the history of modern
Ms Abed, head of the advertisement section in the Memory archive, says this is the first time that rare and unique advertisements have been saved, archived and made available online. Visitors to the website have shown a great deal of interest in that section and have asked for a special group to be set up on Facebook for advertising amateurs.
Rosetta stone
Dr Azab said advertisements existed at the time of the ancient Egyptians, but they were different in form and content. They were limited to royal decrees and announcements, such as declaring the pharaoh’s marriage or royal visit. Royal orders or announcements were generally engraved on a stela or stone slab, and hung on the main temple. Copies were distributed to large temples that were visited by many people during festivals. The call to join military service was conducted by the same means. The head of the army used to hang a stone carved with the king’s orders for young men to join the military service. Rosetta’s stone reveals how Egyptians expressed their thanks to Ptolimus III when he deducted taxes. They wrote about their appreciation to the king’s generosity in three languages, and that is how hieroglyphic letters were revealed.
Advertising on horseback
Advertisements underwent some development under later rulers of
A turning point took place at the beginning of the industrial age in
Changing style
Since then the style of advertisements has differed from the news format. Written in a smaller font and surrounded with a frame in the same printing colour of the content, it is differentiated from the rest of the news.
As the number of literate people increased, more newspapers and magazines were published. Advertisements became a direct means between manufacturers and consumers, updating news about new products. Most advertisements were characterised by their witty and amusing language and its artistic style and designs. During the1920s and 30s, many grammatical mistakes were spotted and editors sometimes used foreign languages and slang.
Public announcements
Public notices or advertisements were common, ranging from congratulating the king on his birthday or marriage or the anniversary of his coronation. Many companies not only advertised a certain product, but also offered large rewards to encourage consumers to buy their products. They frequently recruited celebrities or film stars to pose to advertise their products. Advertisements about films were quite different from today. In the past, advertisements focused on enhancing religious and social values, and they sometimes announced that a child would be starring.
It was a wise decision by the Memory of Modern Egypt Digital Archive to keep records of old advertisements that shed light on the important part in Egypt’s history played by printed advertisements. These advertisements have for so long been disregarded by researchers despite their valuable record of development over the decades. In the next phase it is expected that advertisements broadcast on screen will also be documented.