jan 1, 1920 - Rise of Animated Advertising

Description:

The British Film Institute’s (BFI) new archive of animated ads tells the story of two industries bound by symbiosis: while animation broke down the confines of reality for creatives, the ad industry proved a profitable playpen for the first generation of animators.

The earliest ads to feature animation appeared in the cinemas of the 1920s, rolling out in the same pre-feature slot they appear in today. As precursors to advertising’s current love affair with personalisation, these spots were often delivered as basic templates that could be edited to promote local businesses and copy suitable for each cinema’s audience.

Animation techniques grew more sophisticated in the run up to World War Two and the popularity of Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Cartoons meant a new breed of commercial artist appeared in the animator. Hollywood became a magnet for these creatives stateside, while UK animators headed to ad land – an industry that was flourishing itself and had the cash to show for it.

The ads where rough by our standards today however they had the same simple intention to inform and entice the potential customer for their product or service on offer

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