The first television advertisement aired on September 22nd 1955 in black and white and was 70 seconds long advertising toothpaste. Early advertisements were much longer than today and often featured known faces using and describing the advertised product. In the 1950s and 1960s, television advertisements were dominated by soap powder, food, and limited car and alcohol advertising due to manufacturer agreements. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, television advertising continued to evolve with the introduction of color television and new channels, and by the late 1980s interactive advertisements emerged. The rules for alcohol advertising in the UK are now among the strictest in the world, with advertisements not allowed to target or appeal to those under 18.

1. Media Time line of
adverts
Tina Hartnell

2. The very first television advert
was made on the 22nd
September 1955.
It was 70 seconds long.
It was made by AB-Pathe and
advertised toothpaste.

3. • Shown in black and white.
• Much longer than todays adverts.
• The presenter of early adverts was
often a known face and would be
shown using the product that they
are advertising and describing the
reasons for choosing the product.

4. In 1950 television advertisements were
dominated by soap powder manufactures and
food advertising.
ITV came on screen.
In 1960 there was little car advertisements
due to an agreement between manufactures.
And virtually no spirit advertisements for the
same reason.
1964 Introduction of a higher quality 625 line
TV IN COLOUR.
In 1965 a report was sent to ban cigarette
advertising.
In 1970, Congress took their anti-smoking
initiative one step further and passed the
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act,
banning the advertising of cigarettes on
television and radio starting on January 2,
1971.

5. • In 1970 television advertisements
were considerably different to
when they first started due to the
increasingly more realistic
pictures and colors.
• Also in the 1970’s the car
company Datsun came over from
Germany and broke the
agreement of not to advertise
cars.

6. Towards the end of the 1970
cooperate advertisement began to
appear.
In the 1980’s television advertising
changed again due to new outlets
such as channel 4 and breakfast
television.
Channel four introduced.

7. In the late 1980’s interactive adverts were
introduced.
In 1993 the first advert for an undertakers
was shown.
TV adverts were originally created to
cover the cost of making the programmes
on television.
1997 channel 5 introduced.
1989 – Sky was introduced.

8. The rules on advertising
alcohol…
Alcohol advertising is often a sensitive topic.
With these issues high on the political agenda close scrutiny has been given to those
factors that may influence the amount of alcohol we consume.
The UK advertising rules for alcohol are amongst the strictest in the world.
The rules are based upon evidence that points to a link between alcohol advertising and
people’s awareness and attitudes to drinking.
The rules, independently enforced by the ASA 9advertising standards agency), were
significantly tightened in 2005 and were again re-evaluated and subject to full public
consultation in 2009.
Alcohol adverts must not be directed at people under 18 or contain anything that is likely
to appeal to them by reflecting youth culture or by linking alcohol with irresponsible
behavior, social success or sexual attractiveness.
The TV and radio advertising rules contain strict controls about the placement and content
of alcohol advertising. Alcohol ads are banned from appearing in and around programmes
commissioned for or principally targeted at audiences below the age of 18, as well as
programmes likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 18.