The first fruit label in the history
The first fruit label appeared in 1929 and was created by Elders & Fyffes Ltd. to win the competition.
The britain company was born in 1888 as E.W. Fyffes, Son and Co. In 1901 it and Elder Dempster amalgamate to form Elders & Fyffes Ltd., but in 1902 the United Fruit Company of America acquire 45% of the company and wholly in 1914. In 1969 Elders and Fyffes Limited became Fyffes Group Limited, in 1987 Fll Fyffes plc and since 1990 it was known as Fyffes plc.
The necessity to brand the bananas supplied by Fyffes was urgent on 12 April 1929, when the Jamaica Producers Association, together its subsidiary Jamaica Banana Producers Association Ltd., began operations, becoming the first competitor of Fyffes. But in May 1929 the Fyffes had noit decided how to defend their position. They had begun an advertising campaign in Britain with their bulletin named “The Banana Budget” (born to inform the trade on all aspects of company), in which they exalted the quality of their fruit, but in this way they was not known in the retail.
The idea was simple and ingenuous: brand the fruit with the logo! It requested not only courage, but also extra cost and operation. The glue was not what it is today and the pioneers was water -soluble gummed labels, like the stamps.
In July 1929 was launched a new advertising campaign, where it showed the “Fyffes Blue Label“: in this way the Fyffes bananas was identified easy in the retail markets. Obviously, not all ripeners was enthusiastic to brand the fruit, the benefits of which they were in need of being convinced.
“To ask for Fyffe’s is a direct result of advertising, whilst the demand for the Fyffes Blue Label is the direct result of one of the first elementary laws of advertising, that is to advertise at the source of supply” as you can see in the opening text of “The Banana Budget” of 26 June 1929, signed by Henry Stockley the Chief Executive of the day.
The prototype and the Fyffes Blue Label
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| Prototype of the Fyffes Blue Label (1929) | Fyffes Blue Label (1929) |
Continue reading with the strategies of the Fyffe’s.
