Barnum's Ads - The Shakespeare of Advertising

See Barnum was referred to as the Shakespeare of advertising by Yale professor Phelps in the 1930s. His ads were brilliant, they were really good ads, they were very convincing. But also because he advertised a lot. He knew the power of exposure and wanted as much of it as possible. However, just like Trump, Barnum knew that all exposure was not equal. Some exposure was better than others - simply whacking up an ad and saying the circus is coming wasn't enough for Barnum. So he created some controversy, some intrigue that would polarize opinions and get people talking.