Advertising played a vital role in the change of the American economy from one in which most goods were produced and sold locally to one developed mainly by brand names and products sold nationally.
Before the 1880s, most advertisements consisted entirely of print. The print itself was primarily informational: it described the product and where it could be achieved. The few images that ads contained were highly stylized. Very few ads featured slogans (口号，标语) or brand names.
Beginning in the 1890s, however, advertisements experienced a great change. They began to look like advertising today, focusing on visual images, slogans, catch-phrases, and importance of individual’s health and psychological wealth. The J. Walter Thompson advertising agency sold Scott tissue by warning consumers of "the troubles caused by harsh toilet tissue". Lucky Strike sold cigarettes to women first by using the slogan "Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet" and later by describing cigarettes as "torches of ," as symbols of modern values. The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to ______.
A. describe the characteristics of the advertisements in early days
B. persuade people to pay attention to the importance of visual images in advertising
C. tell people the development and role of American advertising
D. explain how to sell goods by advertisements nowadays