HAT receives the first ever colour newspaper advert

Earlier this month HAT was delighted to receive a copy of The Daily Herald (10 September 1958) from Colin Lloyd former President of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The paper, known today as The Sun, features the first full colour advertisement ever published in a newspaper.  

Colin worked for The Herald in the late 1950s and recounted his experience of getting to grips with colour.
“The Daily Herald pre and post war newspaper was regarded as 'Labour’s' newspaper, with a circulation of approximately 1.5 million copies per day. I worked there in the late 1950's in the ad make up department as an aspiring junior. The Daily Herald at that time was located at the top end of Long Acre in London. Also in Long Acre were the main offices of Odhams Press the publisher of Woman and Woman's Own. 

In the late 1950’s The Daily Herald collaborated with Odhams to produce the first colour advertisement in a newspaper. Initially this colour was editorial and very experimental. Shortly after this first test Odhams promoted its magazine as the first colour adverts in the UK and probably the world. 

The production of these adverts used what was known as a 'wallpaper' system of printing and insertion. This was because at this point the technology was not available to insert the colour reels into the ordinary newspaper printing process and ensure that the colour section could be cut in order that a whole advertisement appeared as they do now. 

The design of the 'wallpaper' ads was such that wherever the colour section was cut at least one or more ads appeared as a complete advertisement albeit smaller than the whole page.  The colour printing was done at Sun printers at Watford who also printed the Odhams titles. As the technology developed the 'wallpaper' system was replaced with the cut off registration system that we know today. The Daily Herald (now The Sun) was at the forefront of newspaper colour technology. “

If you have historically significant material you would like to donate to HAT please contact the Archive Collections Manager on 01508 548623 or enquiries@hatads.org.uk 

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