Purpose

This paper aims to review the history of Roldós y Compañía, one of the oldest advertising agencies in the world and the oldest currently operating. This research aims to highlight the importance of this agency and its founder, Rafael Roldós Viñolas – the first documented advertising agent in Spain to this day – in shaping the emerging Spanish advertising industry at the end of the 19th century.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this paper is based on a review of period and contemporary literature, as well as on newspaper sources and documents from the private archive of Roldós, S.A.

Findings

In its early years, the agency’s participation in two of the most significant events for the modernization of the city of Barcelona, the Universal Exhibition of 1888 and the International Exhibition of 1929; as well as the ideation and implementation of several urban projects with the aim of finding new formulas and advertising media are factors that make it one of the most important in the country. In 1929, the alliance Roldós-Tiroleses, S.A. de Publicidad, the first great merger of advertising agencies in Spain, which lasted three years, was led. The outbreak of the Civil War and the subsequent post-war period marked a few years of business irregularities and advertising silences that gave instability to its activity. During the last third of the 20th century, the agency was immersed in the generalized advertising euphoria around the world. With the arrival of North American agencies in Barcelona and the consequent business movements, Roldós, S.A. specializes in the processing of advertisements and media planning. The 21st century began with important changes in the media planning sector, and the agency was forced to restructure its services and organizational structure. In 2022, it celebrates 150 years of uninterrupted activity, recognized by the country’s business sector.

Practical implications

This research aims to internationalize the history of the Roldós y Compañía agency, so that it can be studied together with other names of Anglo-Saxon advertising pioneers who were contemporaries of Rafael Roldós.

Originality/value

Scientific research on the history of advertising agencies, especially in Spain, is scarce, so this paper aims to help fill this gap.

中文翻译：

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Roldós y Compañía，世界上历史最悠久的运营广告公司

目的

本文旨在回顾 Roldós y Compañía 的历史，该公司是世界上最古老的广告公司之一，也是目前运营时间最长的广告公司。这项研究旨在强调该机构及其创始人拉斐尔·罗尔多斯·维诺拉斯（Rafael Roldós Viñolas）——迄今为止西班牙第一位有记录的广告经纪人——在塑造 19 世纪末新兴的西班牙广告业方面的重要性。

设计/方法论/途径

本文使用的方法基于对古代和当代文献的回顾，以及报纸来源和南澳州罗尔多斯私人档案馆的文件

发现

早年，该机构参与了巴塞罗那市现代化进程中最重要的两项活动：1888 年世界博览会和 1929 年国际博览会；以及旨在寻找新模式和广告媒体的多个城市项目的构思和实施，是使其成为该国最重要的城市项目之一的因素。1929 年，Roldós-Tiroleses, SA de Publicidad 联盟成立，这是西班牙首次广告公司的大型合并，历时三年。内战的爆发和随后的战后时期标志着几年的商业违规和广告沉默，导致其活动不稳定。在 20 世纪的最后 30 年里，该机构沉浸在世界各地普遍的广告热潮中。随着北美代理商抵达巴塞罗那以及随之而来的商业活动，Roldós, SA 专门从事广告处理和媒体策划。进入 21 世纪，媒体策划行业发生了重大变化，该机构被迫重组其服务和组织结构。2022 年，它将庆祝该国商界认可的不间断活动 150 周年。

实际影响

这项研究旨在将 Roldós y Compañía 机构的历史国际化，以便可以将其与与 Rafael Roldós 同时代的盎格鲁-撒克逊广告先驱的其他名字一起研究。

原创性/价值

关于广告公司历史的科学研究很少，尤其是在西班牙，因此本文旨在帮助填补这一空白。