395. Always a Good Cake with SWANS DOWN Cake Flour, Ads 1957-1962

SWANS DOWN PRINT AD, 1961

Cake baking was never a Philippines tradition;  homemakers were happy with their kerosene stoves, and gas ranges were yet to be preferred. Mothers were also contented with their all-purpose flour. SWANS DOWN was meant to add more sophistication and variety to a Filipina mother’s culinary skills.

SWANS DOWN PRINT AD, 1961

 The product innovation was developed by Addison Igleheart,  who in 1894, discovered a new way of milling wheat that made a flour ideal for cake baking. He named it SWANS DOWN, because like the down feather of birds that were used in pillows, the cakes made from the flour were soft, light and fluffy. In 1904, SWANS DOWN confections won Gold medal at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

The Iglehearts joined General Foods Corp. in 1926, and in 1945, the food company  introduced  the first cake mix under the SWANS DOWN  name. It was such a success that SWANS DOWN became America’s favorite cake flour brand.

MOVIE STAR GLORIA ROMERO FOR SWANS DOWN, 1957

SWANS DOWN was first marketed in the Philippines beginning in the mid 1950s, and by 1957 was being advertised in national media. The first ad featured a black and white endorsement of 1950s superstar, Gloria Romero, who was also a sought-after celebrity model.

 SWANS DOWN was one of the first food products to use color and photography in their ads, in a time  when even food ads were largely illustrated in monotone.  It SWANS DOWN had less than a decade’s run in the Philippine market, it laid the foundation for cake baking and pastry making that led to the rise of cakeshops and bakeshop businesses like Red Ribbon and Goldilocks.

SWANS DOWN CHRISTMAS AD, 1962

By the early 1970s, marketing by other competitors forced SWANS DOWN Cake Mix out of business worldwide, but SWANS DOWN  Cake Flour survived because of the loyal generations of scratch bakers who refused to bake with anything else. In 1985, the Wm. B. Reily & Company purchased the Swans Down brand, and it is now manufactured and marketed by Reily Foods.

SWANS DOWN Cake Flour is only available in the Philippines through international shopping stores today.

SOURCES:

America’s favorite Cake Flour since 1894: https://swansdown.com/

Swans Down FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/SwansDownCakeFlour/

Swans Down photo:  https://reilyproducts.com/products/swans-down-32-oz/