Brands

Brands were trade marks, and trade marks were brands. The honour role of 19th-century consumer brands that are still with us is remarkable when we consider the huge changes in all other walks of life. Anchor butter, Avon cosmetics, Bassett’s Liquorice Allsorts, Baxter’s soup, Beecham’s pills, Bird’s custard, Bovril, Brooke Bond tea, Cadbury’s, Clark’s shoes, Coca-Cola, Colman’s mustard, Fyffe’s bananas, Heinz (even the ‘57 varieties’ goes back that far), Horlicks, Hovis, Jacob’s biscuits, Johnson’s baby powder, Kellogg’s, Kodak, McVities, Omega watches, Parker pens, Pears soap, Robertson’s Golden Shred marmalade, Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles, Schweppes (strictly speaking, late 18th century), Slazenger tennis rackets, Tate & Lyle sugar, Wrigley’s chewing gum, Yale locks — they all started life over a hundred years ago.

By 1911, Kellogg’s was already spending $1 million in the United States on advertising the familiar red signature, one of the world’s most consistent claims to authenticity. But imitators abounded, and brand managers had to look beyond simple statements of authenticity; they began turning their brands into promises. The promise might be for a better taste, purer ingredients, a longer life, a better physique, and to begin with these promises could sometimes get out of hand.

Dr J. Collis Browne’s ‘Chlorodyne’ was advertised in 1902 as follows: The most wonderful and valuable remedy ever discovered. Chlorodyne is the best remedy known for coughs, colds, consumption, bronchitis, asthma. Chlorodyne effectually checks and arrests those too often fatal diseases – diphtheria, fever, croup, ague. Chlorodyne acts like a charm in diarrhoea and is the only specific in cholera and dysentery. Chlorodyne effectually cuts short all attacks of epilepsy, hysteria, palpitation and spasms. Chlorodyne is the only palliative in neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, cancer, toothache, meningitis, and etc. Caution – Beware of Piracy and Imitation.

(Collis Browne is still available today and is said to be good for treating diarrhoea.) This period is rich with examples of products and advertisements that tried to ‘hit’ on every front at once. Carter’s Extra Concentrated Lemonade offered ‘Lemonade in a moment’ — but not only that, it was also a ‘prophylactic against cholera’. And to top it all, in case anybody thinks the notion of ‘cost in use’ (see Chapter 28) is a new one, the tag line was ‘goes farthest — therefore cheapest’.

Recommended sites:
- cmat: Provides strategic planning, consulting, management and technology solutions at little or no cost to eligible nonprofit organizations.
- corinthianevents: Full service special event planner; DMC focusing on corporate & non-profit clients including event entertainment, destination management, tours, activities, meeting planning, team building, theme parties and décor in Boston.
- microoffice: Offers fully furnished office space in Manhattan, New York City for lease, rent, sublet, and sublease. Month to month lease of affordable offices in Manhattan, NYC complete with services such as mail, telephones, high speed internet.
- testingclean: Offers detoxification products for passing drug tests, screening and urinalysis.

As consumers grew more ‘brand literate’, so the promises had to moderate, and advertisers began to latch on to rather more single-minded claims as a means to give direction to the brands in their charge. In the 1940s Rosser Reeves led the way with unique selling propositions (USPs) and brands became very single-minded. USPs gave brands competitive advantage, and some USPs remain to this day. Volvo still ‘owns’ safety as a proposition in the car market, so much so that it has to try that much harder whenever it wants any message other than safety to be heard. Campaigns such as ‘Birds Eye — the modern way to cook’, or ‘Chew Wrigley’s, Freshen your Taste!’ might seem rather tame and innocent today, but at the time they were seen by many as aggressive and intrusive. The USP gave critics and competitors alike something to shoot at, and this was its drawback. If all your eggs were put in that one basket, what happened if someone came along with a better product? You might claim best performance, but new technology could outflank you.