Professor Walter's History Lessons

From an uninspired ad account to one of the the greatest advertising icons in history

In 1954 Phillip Morris took a weak product's advertising account and moved it to Leo Burnett in Chicago.  At the time Marlboro cigarettes had red paper to hide lipstick marks and was marketed with the slogan, "Mild As May."  As one would expect, it was marketed to women and held only one quarter of one percent of the market. 

Burnett decided they would take the brand in a whole new direction with a new campaign.  First they redesigned the box into flip-top style with bold red and white.  Then they picked a cowboy to be the new spokesman, whom they would call the "Marlboro Man."  The success was unprecedented and in some cultures the now familiar pack and spokesman was once better known than Mickey Mouse.  No matter how rugged the various Marlboro Men looked, most of them weren't even cowboys.  They were actually pilots.  The original photographer, Constantin Joffe, explained, "the most successful Marlboro men were pilots, and do you know why?  Because pilots seem to have a little wrinkle around the eyes."

Take a look at a pre-Burnett mother targeted ad and a Burnett "manly man" targeted ad and make your own decision as to which is best:

-Professor Walter

If she can only cook as well as Honeywell can compute.

By the late 1960s, computers had scale down from their original massive size to something that could fit into the average home.  The companies developing these newer, smaller computers knew that there was a market for them, but how would they go about convincing the average person that a computer would be a worthwhile investment?  What would someone do with it?  In 1969, Honeywell thought they had finally answered that question with the release of a pedestal version of their H316 computer.  The Neiman Marcus catalog carried the following ad:

"If she can only cook as well as Honeywell can compute."

"Her souffles are supreme, her meal planning a challenge? She's what the Honeywell people had in mind when they devised our Kitchen Computer. She'll learn to program it with a cross-reference to her favorite recipes by N-M's own Helen Corbitt. Then by simply pushing a few buttons obtain a complete menu organized around the entree. And if she pales at reckoning her lunch tabs, she can program it to balance the family checkbook. 84A 10,600.00 complete with two week programming course. 84B Fed with Corbitt data: the original Helen Corbitt cookbook with over 1,000 recipes $100 (.75) 84C Her Potluck, 375 of our famed Zodiac restaurant's best kept secret recipes 3.95 (.75) Corbitt Epicure 84D Her Labaird Apron, one-size, ours alone by Clairdon House, multi-pastel provencial cotton 26.00 (.90) Trophy Room"

The computer, which had a built in cutting board, promised to change the kitchen forever.  However, the $10,600 price tag (which equates to $51,854.05 in today's dollars) was excessive.  It is unlikely that any were sold, let alone ever built.  Even if the price was not a challenge, the accompanying two-week training class necessary to program the device was a deterrent.  Not to mention the fact that the user interface consisted of a strip of lights and switches, making recording or reading any information a significant endeavor.

While the 1969 Kitchen Computer did not take off, today's devices, such the Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPad, are looking to finally fulfill this niche.  Two week training class not included.

-Professor Walter

A tale of a little fish who wanted to be eaten

In 1961 Tom Rogers, of the Leo Burnett Agency, created a tuna icon that would last for decades.  His name was, Charlie the Tuna.  The concept was to create an marketing icon who wanted to be caught by the StarKist company.  He was a hipster tuna with Greek fisherman's hat and glasses who believed he had such good taste he would be perfect for a can of tuna.  Alas, he would be rejected in the form of a note on a fish hook stating, "Sorry Charlie".  A voice over would explain that they weren't looking for tuna with good taste, but instead looking for tuna that tastes good.  

Charlie appeared in over 85 advertisements until the campaign was retired in the 1980s.  In 1999 he was brought back and has retained the role of spokesfish for StarKist until this day.

Many consumers have commented that it is creepy that Charlie would be so upset that a company refused to capture him, cut him into small chunks and then seal him in a can for human consumption.

-Professor Walter

From humble origins great heroes are born

Animated programs come from many sources, from a sitcom based on the Honeymooners (The Flintstones) to a show born as a small skit on a variety comedy program (The Simpsons).  Some have more commercial origins, as is the case with Underdog.  The famous canine, who graced over 100 episodes and a full length feature motion picture, was born not out of the traditional sources, but instead came from a breakfast cereal.  In 1959 the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency in New York handled the General Mills account.  They developed a collection of animated shows to promote cereal.  One of them was Underdog.  

W. Watts Biggers, Chet Stover, Treadwell D. Covington and artist Joe Harris worked together to create the new series.  When Underdog became a success they left to form Total Television to continue creating the show, utilizing Gamma Studios in Mexico to produce the animation.  The show's success outlasted General Mills's support when they stopped being the primary sponsor in 1969, although General Mills did retain the rights to the series until the mid-90s.  But Underdog's popularity stayed strong.  Even though the show ceased production in 1973, in 2007 Underdog returned, this time to the big screen in a live action adaptation which generally garnered poor reviews.  No word yet on when Underdog's next big return is planned.

-Professor Walter

But I just asked for a pint!

On October 17th of 1814 the streets of London rumbled as a vat at the Meux and Company Brewery, containing 610,000 liters of beer, ruptured.  The rush of beer against the other vats caused them to rupture as wel,l creating a domino effect.  The end result was a wall of over 1,470,000 liters of beer gushing out into the streets.  The brewery was in a poor part of town and many lived in basements and risked imminent drowning.  In all, eight people died directly from the flood.  

As rescue workers rushed to the scene, they found their efforts blocked and delayed by thousands of thirsty people who flocked to the area to drink beer from the streets.  As survivors arrived, beer soaked, at a nearby hospital, patients assumed there must be a huge beer bash they were missing and demanded beer for themselves.  The flood claimed an additional victim the next day who died of alcohol poisoning from over consumption.

The accident was declared to be an act of God and no fault was placed on the company.  The company was in severe financial straits after paying duty on the lost beer, but they successfully lobbied for the recovery of the duties and were able to continue, in the same location, until 1922 when they moved to a new facility.  The Meux and Company Brewery went through a series of mergers and acquisitons over the years finally resting with the Carlsburg Group.  The Friary Meux brand of beer was sold until 1997.

-Professor Walter

 

 

 

 

Innovation before its time

Clarence Saunders was born in 1881.  He was one of the most influential grocers of the 20th century whose impact is still felt today.  His first great breakthrough came with the founding of his grocery store Piggly Wiggly in Memphis, Tennessee.  His store was a break from tradition and introduced many innovations centered around the new concept of self-service.  Prior to that time grocers would collect the groceries for the customer and return with them to ring up the sale.  Saunder's store instead allowed the customer to collect their own goods and then bring them to the register using shopping baskets.  One of the keys to his success was the layout of the store which forced customers to view everything on sale, giving birth to impulse grocery shopping.

After a risky stock gamble failed, Saunders left Piggly Wiggly, bankrupt.  Saunders started another grocery store but it went bankrupt during the great depression.  He started work on an automated grocery store, but stopped that and made wooden toys during WWII.  Afterwords he founded Keedoozle which was a fully automated store, reminiscent of modern vending machines.  Customers would use punch-tape to select merchandise, and then after paying for it the goods would be delivered via conveyor belt, but it was unreliable and failed in 1949.

Then until his death in 1953 he worded developing plans for Foodelectric which was the pioneer concept for today's self-checkout system.  He described it as,

"The store operates so automatically that the customer can collect her groceries herself, wrap them and act as her own cashier. It eliminates the checkout crush, cuts overhead expenses and enables a small staff to handle a tremendous volume... I can handle a $2 million volume with only eight employees."

His concept never saw realization due to his death, however his insights paved the way for today's grocery stores and the now ever popular self-checkout stands.

-Professor Walter

Behold, the power of carrots!

How many times did your Mother tell you to eat your carrots because they were good for your eyes?  Well, while carrots contain vitamin A which is good for eyes, skin, growth, and resisting infection, they do not help your eyesight.  To learn the origins of the myth that countless Mothers repeat so often you must go back to World War II, to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and one of their great military secrets.  

At the onset of WWII the German bombers caused massive damage that the RAF were unable to adequately counter.  Then there was an abrupt change and the RAF's fortunes seemed to change overnight.  These RAF successes were attributed to the excellent eyesight of their pilots which was a purportedly direct result of eating carrots.  This semi-plausible idea was accepted by many including the Germans and the British public.  British residents, who often took shelter in the dark during bombing raids, ate carrots to improve their night vision.  The truth of the matter was that this was a brilliant method of hiding the truth, that the British had RADAR and were using it to pinpoint the German planes before they entered British airspace.  Radar technology was so great a secret that the carrot story was created to keep it hidden.  Decades later, with RADAR no longer a national secret, Mothers across the world still tell their kids to eat their carrots to get better eyesight.

-Professor Walter

Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda - The Hangover Cure

In 1929, Charles Leiper Grigg, creator of Howdy Orange Drink and the Howdy Corporation, came up with a new soft drink formula, which he dubbed "Bib-label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda." The lemon-lime drink contained lithium citrate, which is a mood stabilizer used in the psychiatric treatment of manic states and bipolar disorders, which allowed for the drink to be marketed as a patent medicine hangover cure. Despite the fact that the soda hit the market two weeks before the Wall Street crash of 1929, and the fact that there were over 600 lemon-lime drinks on the market at the time, the soda was a success. In the early 1930s the name was changed to 7-Up Lithiated Lemon-Lime, likly to reflect the seven ingredients. Not long after that, the name was changed again, simply to 7-Up. Grigg acknowledged the profound success of the new drink when he changed the name of his company from the Howdy Corporation to the 7-Up Corporation in 1936. In 1950 lithium citrate was removed from the formula and 7-Up ended its time as a patent medicine.  By the late 1940s 7-Up was the third best selling soft drink in the nation.

-Professor Walter

No Virginia, there is no City of Brotherly Cheese

In 1872 dairyman William Lawrence worked to make a batch of Neufchâtel cheese.  In failing to produce the cheese he created America's first cream cheese and in 1880 he sold the cheese wrapped in foil with his company the Empire Cheese Company in New York.  In naming his cheese he chose to name it after the American city that was known as the home of top quality food, Philadelphia, despite the fact that is was made in New York City. 

In 1903 the Phoenix Cheese Company of New York bought the Empire Cheese Company and with it the Philadelphia trademark.  James L. Kraft invented pasteurized cheese in 1912 which led to the development of pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese.  In 1928 Kraft Foods bought the cheese and trademark, and still owns it today. 

-Professor Walter

Good to the last drop!

In 1873 Joe Cheek, a grocery salesman, became interested in coffee and created his own unique blend.  He sold his new coffee and the Maxwell House Hotel, which was a prominent Nashville, Tennessee hotel which hosted seven presidents and other prominents guests in its lifetime, began to serve it to its guests.  This affiliation is what named the coffee Maxwell House.

In 1907 Theodore Roosevelt was a guest of the Ladies Hermitage Association at Andrew Jackson's homstead known as The Hermitage.  While there he was served Maxwell House coffee, and upon receiving a refill he commented that is was, "Good to the last drop!".  That phrase became the slogan for Maxwell House coffee and is still in use today.

-Professor Walter