The History of Brands

Let me start by saying that to me, brands are vital parts of social history, both the ones that are long lasting and the ones that vanish. I love seeing old newspapers and old magazines that contain adverts for brands that have vanished and those that have stayed around. I am of course aware of the arguments around brands, some of which are valid. However, this post will ignore those arguments and, instead, serve as a preview of one of my Blogmas posts. So, let me take you back to 1896!

My idea of looking at Christmas Magazines through the last 130 years in the UK stemmed from the view of the Pears’ Annual of 1896. When you look at the title, you are immediately looking at brand awareness Victorian Style. Pears produced soap used at every level of UK society up to and including the royals. It was instantly recognisable in its packaging and through its advertising and publications. This was a commercial titan of the day and their magazine would have been a Christmas staple in houses the length and breadth of the country. Many of the articles, as you will find out in December were Pears puff pieces, but it also sold advertising space to other well-known brands of the time. The two below for example.

So you have Atora and Cadbury’s which are still available on the shelves of shops in the UK and beyond. Atora is focusing on the Christmas recipes for which suet is an integral part. It ties the brand in with the celebrations. Cadbury’s reflects the quality of the brand and the way that it is made in Birmingham at the Bourneville factory within the Cadbury designed village of the same name. It’s clearly meant to put the quality front and centre and position itself as a Christmas gift of distinction. When you think of the brand positioning now, not much has changed.

Just as fascinating to me are the brands that have vanished. In the picture above you can see 9 brands that were clearly well known enough to get a coveted place in a very widely read magazine and which no doubt benefitted from the exposure. None of them exist any more. Why is that? I don’t know, but I would really like to find out. Did they fall out of favour, get forced out by cheaper competitors or simply fade gradually from the scene? Whatever the reason, they disappeared never to return.

We have the mistaken belief that we live in a uniquely brand heavy world. The truth is that, ever since consumers started to look beyond their own villages and towns for products, brands have been a vital way for producers to differentiate themselves in an imperfect market. Looking back to 1896,there were almost certainly more brands then than now, but they advertised themselves in the printed media rather than on the Internet. As a result we tend to forget that consumer behaviour doesn’t change, it’s simply catered for in different ways.

If you enjoyed this article, there’s far more to come in December as I trace Christmas across the years through the pages of magazines.