The legacy of the man who took advertising seriously: Pedro Prat Gaballí. A look at his theoretical and professional contributions

Abstract

Pedro Prat Gaballí is considered to be the father of the Spanish advertising industry and this analysis of his advertising and literary output shows him to be an advertising guru of the highest order. He combined his work in advertising with academic teaching, professional associations and the writing of some of the 20th century's most important manuals and textbooks on the advertising industry. He was also a keen poet. The methodology used in preparing this article has been primarily documentary observation with the aim of demonstrating his theoretical and professional contributions - books, articles, papers and presentations - to the advance of the Spanish advertising industry. Additionally, we have looked at some of his poetry works, another of this multifaceted figure's talents, which demonstrates his sensitivity and versatility. He had a proactive approach to the theory and techniques of publicity and this is reflected in his constant insistence on ensuring that the advertising in Spain was as efficient as possible. To this end, he promoted the organization of congresses so as to advance the discipline from a scientific standpoint and he campaigned for officially recognized training to allow the subject to be properly studied and effectively put into practice. He was also a strong proponent of industry associations to facilitate cohesion and intra-sector knowledge transfer. These all meant that the advertising industry in Spain was built on strong theoretical foundations and that it was highly visible to the public. In summary, his enormous legacy is an essential reference point in the history of Spanish advertising; he fought to bring dignity the profession through his discourse and articles and bestowed the discipline a solid body of scientific theory on which to build.