Marketing The National Economy : DomesticProduct Advertisements In The Ottoman Market

This study examines the role of advertising in promoting the discourse of the NationalEconomy in the Ottoman Empire during the Second Constitutional Era(1908–1914). Drawing on newspapers and magazines, it analyzes how advertisementsserved as a platform for advancing economic nationalism, encouraging theconsumption of domestic goods, and supporting Muslim–Turkish entrepreneurship.Rather than depicting the National Economy solely as a state-driven project, theresearch highlights its bottom-up expressions and manifestations in everyday life,where individual consumer choices and commercial messaging reflected and reinforcedthe aspiration for economic self-sufficiency. The study also traces the shiftin tone and priorities from the early years of the Second Constitutional Era—whena genuine desire for coexistence shaped public discourse—to the post-Balkan Warsperiod, when changing political and social dynamics redefined the role of advertisingin the service of a more exclusive nationalist agenda. The findings show that advertisingfunctioned not only as a commercial tool but also as a political and culturalinstrument, shaping consumption patterns and contributing to the nation-buildingprocess.