With expansive global coverage from an international range of experts, this unique volume critically examines the stakeholders and influences on the production, dissemination, and consumption of advertising – from its early history via the development of mass advertising to the emergence of the digital age. Advertising has been and remains one of the most visible and influential forms of communication globally and the advertising industry is valued in the hundreds of billions worldwide.

While its size, reach, and influence have attracted considerable scholarly attention, the insights from its historical growth and development are less well understood yet provide invaluable insights. This authoritative reference volume provides not only a critical overview of the state of current knowledge and research in advertising history, but also a global overview of the industry's growth and development.

This Companion is a comprehensive source of current scholarship and debate on the history of advertising for advanced students, educators, and researchers in advertising, marketing, communication, and media studies, and will provide an invaluable one-stop literature resource for academics and informed professionals alike.