ABSTRACT
America's first newspaper advertisement was published in Boston. Yet, the heart of marketing and media was in Philadelphia, with Benjamin Franklin serving as the catalyst for American advertising and the propagation of American ideals. In the process, American advertising's hegemonic power has infused the aspirational values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness into the global marketplace. Today, these aspirational values are rooted in, and perpetuated by, consumption; and, with the pervasive nature of technology, their influence bleeds across international borders. Early American advertising messages promoted life and liberty and set the stage for advertisers to embrace the pursuit of happiness in the coming decades. At the opening of the twentieth century, industrialization was set to change the nature of American advertising, including the establishment of advertising as a profession. The introduction of commercial radio was a seismic shift for American advertising. It opened the door to American homes and offered an intimacy not possible with print media.
