Article Sphere Logo
 
Main Article Categories

 Alternative Medicine
 Arts And Entertainment
 Automotives
 Beauty
 Business
 Communications
 Computer And Technology
 Disease And Illness
 Finance
 Food And Beverage
 Health And Fitness
 Home And Family
 Home Based Business
 Insurance
 Internet And E-Business
 Legal
 News And Society
 Pets And Animals
 Product Reviews
 Real Estate
 Recreation And Sports
 Reference And Education
 Self Improvement
 Shopping
 Travel And Leisure
 Women Health And Fitness
 Women Interests And Issues
 Work At Home
 Writing And Speaking
 All 511 Categories
 
"Marketing" Article
 Article Directory Home Business Marketing

The Origins of the Business Card

By Expert Author: Jeremy Duboys
View Summary | Submitted: 2006-02-24 | Word Count: 458 words | Views: 56 view(s)
Jeremy Duboys
The first business cards were actually playing cards and the practice of exchanging such cards originated in the Court of King Louis XIV of France. The "Sun King", who incidentally was the longest serving Monarch in history, held court in his opulent Palace of Versailles situated in today's terms, just a short train ride from Paris.

The gentlemen of the Court were dedicated followers of fashion and were many in number. King Louis, an astute politician, realized that trouble could come from only one quarter and that was from a disaffected aristocracy. To safeguard himself, he brought all the nobility to Versailles where he gave them jobs, a comfortable lifestyle and of course, money.

For the most part the nobles had not a lot to do as they sat under the ever-watchful eye of the absolute Monarch. Playing cards were one of the important "affairs" of state. The gentlemen would use these playing cards to write promissory notes to one another as a means of covering their gambling debts until next pay day. From this practice arose a whole system of writing notes, arranging meetings and dare I say, scheming assignations with the ladies of the court.

Louis came to the throne as a mere child of 5 in 1643. Of course the affairs of state were governed by the Prince Regent, so it was after the establishment and the building of Versailles, in the third quarter of the seventeenth century, that the practice that gave rise to the business card came into being.

About the same time, across the Channel in England, and notably the capital, London, a much more mundane albeit intensely practical form of business card was on the rise. This was the "Trade Card". The purpose of this type of card was to direct members of the public to a merchant's place of commerce. The cards invariably showed a map, clearly directing the potential customer to the business premises. This was really important at a time before properly designated street addresses had come into being. The cards were printed using woodcut or letterpress and were the traditional black on white. Colored varieties were to come much later.

These early business cards were incredibly important, serving as very powerful advertising tools in an era before the advent of mass communications. The clarity of the map and associated information could well decide the fate of a fledgling commercial venture. Today, when somebody gives you a card you glance at it and file it for future reference. You can use the information printed there to telephone, write or e-mail the donor, but this was not so in earlier times of course. The card's original purpose was to give you clear directions on how to reach the business man in question.

Copyright 2006 business-cards.com
About the Author/Author Bio

http://www.business-cards.com is one of the leading business stationery websites on the internet today. For more business related articles please take a look at their journal at http://www.business-cards.com/business-cards-journal

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/The-Origins-of-the-Business-Card/12271

This Article has been viewed 56 times.

Comments on this Article


More "Marketing" Related Articles

 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Marketing" article category.

People interested in the above article "The Origins of the Business Card" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

An effective form of marketing is to set up a system that can then sustain itself, freeing you to focus on other things. Consider the idea of setting up a direct mailing campaign that can largely operate without a lot of direct interaction or supervision.
Working in marketing you begin to get a feel for how things work. I mean by this things that either make your life simpler or pull in customers. Prior to starting your own business its of benefit looking at the following tips into your thinking otherwise you might find that you lose energy ahead of your business begins.
Whether your group is philanthropic or an association of like-minded professionals, promotion to donors or potential members is always a focus. Without contributions and/or the addition of new people, your association won't grow and thrive. This fact creates a need for constant promotion. From use with sponsorships and event marketing to giveaways and member awards, lapel pins offer an exceptional way to get the word out.
The economy... it was a major issue in the last election and with its rollercoaster drops has caused average consumers to hold tightly to their wallets. Shoppers seem to be cutting back on everything that isn’t a necessity. So where does that leave retailers as they approach the holiday season? After all, the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday, kicks off the time of year when many businesses make the majority of their profits. Retailers are expected to drastically cut prices this season, but they still have to advertise sales to draw in consumers.
Growth is a natural part of any strong company, and as soon as that growth falters, you can expect your sales to start declining. However, growth can pose a few problems depending on the industry you’re in. Sometimes you can naturally reach the end of your growth potential in a certain market, which will lead you to a new kind of marketing to keep your business strong.
You are a computer whiz and you’d like this to be your bread and butter. What can you do? How can you start to make this happen? And how can a 5 x 7 postcard help you in the process? During these dire times, everyone should capitalize on their areas of expertise to earn extra cash. And if you have decided to take on this venture, you must treat it like your usual business.
A wide variety of business tools and strategies have been developed and used to meet customer demands, and among these is customer messaging. Customer messaging doesn't just mean getting a phone and fax machine. Tools such as voice mail systems and toll free numbers can help businesses set up effective customer messaging that will pave the way to becoming more responsive to the needs of both current and potential customers.
Article Directory Home Business Marketing

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
(Search in 26 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Serbian
Slovak, Hebrew, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)
 
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.
Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing | Singapore Classified
Español Français Bulgarian 汉语 漢語 Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Finnish Deutsch Ελληνικά Italiano 日本語 한국어 Norwegian Polish PortRomanian Русско Serbian Slovak Swedish [أربيك] Hebrew