Advertisment in Verny

Advertising, in some form or the other, has existed as long as humanity itself. However, it became truly widespread with the rise and growth of the press, becoming a primary source of income for publishers, surpassing profits from subscriptions. And the media in the Kazakh steppe in the early twentieth century was no exception. In the Semirechensk Provincial Gazette, which was published in Verny (now Almaty) from 1870, numerous pages were often dedicated to announcements and advertisements, with private and commercial ads frequently appearing side by side on a single page.

Let us consider these property advertisements from Verny, which bear a striking resemblance to contemporary real-estate listings:

For sale: a summer house located above the camp, next to the Bakhrushev Estate, featuring three rooms, a kitchen, and all necessary outbuildings. The property includes about one desyatina [approximately 1.09 hectares] of land and a fruit garden. The property is located on the bank of the Almatinka River. For pricing information, inquire at the corner of Lepsinsk and Balkhashskaya (944) at the Belyaeva Residence.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine an ads section without advertisements for fashionable clothing. The seller’s desire to highlight the European quality of their goods feels familiar. However, the focus on certain types of materials may seem rather curious:

Available at our store Suleimanov, Tazetdinov, and Ibragimov Trading House in Verny:

A vast selection of seasonal items has just arrived:

women’s and children’s slippers, muffs, voile bleu, georgette, American muskrat, tasman, and imitation skunk fabrics, and the latest fashions from Paris, London, and Vienna. We also offer an assortment of trimmings, lace, embroidery, and ribbons.

At the time, advertisements for pharmaceuticals were often quite elaborate:

The best remedy for stomach upset, cholera, diarrhea, and poor digestion

Anchor Stomach Powder. F.A. Richter & Co.

Approved by the Medical Council

Available everywhere. Main warehouse: F.A. Richter & Co., St. Petersburg, Nikolaevskaya, 16

The popular Van Houten cocoa advertisements of the early twentieth century were designed in a particularly striking way and were considered iconic. The design was so well-regarded that many counterfeit versions appeared on the market, although this may as well have been a marketing strategy to enhance the brand’s reputation.

Consumer Warning for Van Houten Cocoa:

Van Houten cocoa has achieved worldwide fame solely due to its unquestionably superior quality. This immense success has led some unscrupulous individuals to use similar or related names to sell cocoa powder and to mislead the public by using tin cans with labels that closely resemble those of genuine Van Houten cocoa. Therefore, when purchasing, pay special attention to our brand.

Readers were advised to cut the image of the label out of the newspaper to help them recognize the original can. Van Houten cocoa advertisements were printed not only in Verny but throughout the Russian Empire. The advertising was so prominent that even Vladimir Mayakovsky,iVladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930) was a well-known Russian poet and playwrightwho was also quite skilled in marketing, immortalized it in verse:

‘It’s good when, from scrutiny, a yellow sweater

Hides the soul!

It’s good when

On the gibbet, in the face of terror,

You shout:

“Drink Cocoa—Van Houten!”i From the poem ‘A Cloud in Trousers’ by Vladimir Mayakovsky

The Semirechensk Provincial Gazette was published weekly in Verny (Almaty) from 1870, and from 1884 to 1918, it was published twice a week, becoming the region's leading publication. It covered national and international news, local events, criminal chronicles, announcements, and advertisements. The newspaper was bilingual, with the Kazakh version, known as the ‘Native Section’, featuring different content.