Playing Cards for Consumer Advertising, Marketing & Promotion

Closely following the development of visual advertising in general, such as on labels, packaging, posters and TV commercials, advertising playing cards display promotional messages either on the reverse of the cards, or else on the pip cards, court cards, aces, jokers or even the box, seeking to find ways to associate products with our inner desires and longings, with our identity and who we want to be.

Some packs are widely distributed as part of larger promotions, others are more exclusive; they may be given away freely, but not always easy to get. In some cases single cards are collected from inside the advertised product, thereby stimulating further sales to complete a full set. Some of the more popular collector’s advertising themes include breweries, shipping lines, and household products, and the style of advertising on playing cards changes over the decades, due to changing technologies, fashions and taste.