Who was the first company to advertise his own product?

Answer 1

As advertising may be loosely defined as using tools of communication to promote an idea, product, or service, the first person to utter his own name would qualify as the first marketer. In business, any paid communication intended to bring in new potential revenue could be considered advertising. One of the oldest organized groups with official rules of conduct (a "company") were Assyrian merchant groups thousands of years ago.

The ancient Assyrian merchants were a higher social class than the artisans, farmers and priests, and would use influence to attract more business. The merchants directly and indirectly reported to scribes that would record and report merchants' progress. Scribes also held much influence with the king.

It can be argued that there were many other companies preceding the Assyrian merchant groups of 1750 BC (approx. date of the oldest known documents addressing private trade), and I'm confident that all of them also traded goods or services in exchange for greater market share.

Answer 2

As all companies advertise their own product in some way or another, the first groups to advertise their products would likely date back about 400,000 years ago with the inception of shelter construction and crude weaponry. If you prefer a more contemporary definition of a company, look to ancient Rome and ancient India, when the first companies were recognized by the state about 1500 years ago, which included farming, mining, and trade associations.