Is advertising art? This question has been there from the beginning. For sure, most advertising has been rendered so poorly, the claims that it might be an art form seem ludicrous. Yet, there are reasons to believe ads do constitute an art form. For one, if anyone could do it, the writers and art directors responsible for making ads would be put out to pasture. Creative endeavors require a leap of faith, no matter how much science must be infused into the work. These leaps of faith are taken by artists first, and then by a few brave suits who decide to follow.
Speaking of leaps of faith, I love to ponder the exaggerated claims typical of early 20th century advertising. Here Jantzen claims they invented the sport of swimming.