History of China's Advertising Rush

Author: Beijing Broadcasting College Advertising College, etc.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: A panoramic history of the development of the advertising industry, showcasing the 10,780-fold growth in the business of China's advertising industry, presenting the interaction between politics, economy; advertising, enterprises, media; culture, fashion, scanning the horizontal correlations and vertical inheritances of corresponding matters. "The Rapid Advancement History of Chinese Advertising" presents a unique structure, displaying the total output value of China's advertising industry in the 25 years of reform and opening up as a myriads of times, with per capita advertising expenses soaring thousands of times, as a world. It interprets the gradual changes in China's policies, regulations, and mechanisms, unlocking the thoughts and productivity that drive the advertising industry with a low starting point to have the "latecomer advantage" and thrive with other pillar industries. It radiates the cultural and fashion phenomena derived, created, and integrated from these changes. These magnificent panoramic scenes constitute a true, rich, vivid portrayal of contemporary Chinese society. In the 25 years after China's reform and opening up, the advertising industry has developed rapidly. Compared with 1979, the national advertising revenue in 2003 increased 10,780 times; per capita advertising expenses grew 8,298 times; the proportion of advertising revenue in the gross national product increased 568 times, making it justified to define it as a "rapid advancement history." As participants, we have the responsibility to record this glorious period as historical evidence. History is readable and even more three-dimensional. Therefore, when we planned the format of this history, we first focused on its temporal nature—the horizontal correlations and vertical inheritances. Based on this concept, we presented the political and economic background of the same time platform, the mainstream of the three pillar industries of advertising, enterprises, and media, as well as the corresponding culture, fashion, and popular scenes together. This allows for a clear and complete expression of their interactivity, i.e., the authentic characteristics of social life during that period. The comparison and contrast between years past and present can also reflect the progress, decline, and changes in various fields through the extension of the time coordinates. Advertising, as a trend, is inherently changeable with a limited commercial lifespan. However, classic advertising always embodies the symbolic products of each time period and social characteristic. As readers browse this history, they can perceive the immense social costs borne by the entire nation, thereby appreciating the perseverance and extraordinary sacrifices of the creators, as well as the urgent need to reflect and achieve: the Chinese advertising industry has a low starting point but high growth, and after China's entry into the WTO, to maintain the "latecomer advantage" and narrow the overall gap with the advertising industry of developed countries, the difficulties and the tremendous efforts required far exceed the previous 25 years of rapid advancement. What we have done is only a rough but concise history. Even so, when the part of this history covering 1979-1998 was published in "International Advertising" in 1999, to our surprise, some academics reacted enthusiastically to this panoramic concise history, considering its format as a pioneering innovation and giving it high praise. What they saw in it was not just advertising but also the rapid development of China's social politics, economy, and culture since the reform and opening up, as well as the horizontal correlations and causes and effects of many things. On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we revised "The Rapid Advancement History of Chinese Advertising·1979-1998," added historical materials from the past five years, and, together with "25 Years of Chinese Marketing" that we planned, presented them as a gift.