Marketing of the Tsarist era: what was advertising in Russia before the revolution

Today, when we hear the word “advertising”, some famous video clip that we saw on TV, banners on different sites on the Internet, or at least a bright, illuminated billboard appears in our minds. Therefore, it naturally seems to us that everything that was called advertising, for example, a hundred years ago, is actually difficult to call it that. However, the ad was surprisingly well developed.

In tsarist Russia there was an incredible amount of services, since the end of the 19th century, businesses had to compete with each other, hence the need to stand out with advertising. And the matter was not limited to simple signs. Custom-made colorful and highly creative posters demonstrate the spirit of that bygone era. Literally everything was promoted. Advertising was intended mainly for wealthy residents of large cities.

Often, famous artists such as Rodchenko or Malevich were engaged in rendering posters, and Mayakovsky and Yesenin participated in the composing of the texts. The slogans were very bright.

The advertising of cars, especially foreign ones, was very popular. It was only necessary to add in the advertisement that the car is ideal for Russian roads, and sales were secured. Car sharing was not a new phenomenon either. In the Russian Empire, one could easily rent a carriage.