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| CAFIASPIRINA INK BLOTTER, Premium/ Giveaway. 1950s. |
Bayer, the drug company that would give the world it most
popular pain medicine—aspirin—was founded by German Friedrich Bayer on 1
August 1868.
From manufacturing chemicals,
it engaged in producing pharmaceutical products, and in 1899, Bayer Aspirin was
introduced and the medication proved to be a universal success for the relief
of minor aches, pains and fever.
Between the two World Wars, new aspirin brands and aspirin-based products
flooded the market. Brands like Aspro (Australia),
St. Joseph’s, Burton’s and Molloy’s (U.S.) were marketed internationally. In Latin
America, Bayer produced a pain and fever relief brand fancifully called CAFIASPIRINA, coined from the Spanish word
for "caffeine" combined with "aspirin" (acetylsalicylic acid) ,
its 2 main ingredients.
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| EARLY CAFIASPIRINA PHILIPPINE AD, 1936 |
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| PRE-WAR CAFIASPIRINA AD, 1940 |
CAFIASPIRINA
became a popular pain medication brand in Latin American countries, like
Brazil, Argentina, Chile and even in Spain and Portugal in the mid 1920s, where it was heavily
advertised. By 1936, CAFIASPIRINA ads
began making their appearances in Philippine magazines. It quickly established
itself as a trusted fever and pain relief medication.
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| 1951 FOOT ADS |
Cortal, introduced in the 1950s, proved to be a worthy
rival of CAFIASPIRINA, and both engaged
in marketing wars. To push CAFIASPIRINA,
an illustrated cartoon figure of a Filipina nurse began appearing on its print
ads, most of which were drawn as comic strips.
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| NURSE CAFI, brand mascot, 1951 |
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| CAFIASPIRINA Comic Strip Ad, 1955. |
Thus, Nurse CAFI joined the league of comic characters
like Kenkoy and Capt. Cortal as brand icons to sell products in the
marketplace. The illustration of Nurse CAFI, finished in 1948 but used only in
1951 ads, shows her in a typical white uniform holding a giant CAFIASPIRINA tablet foil pack. She appeared not only in print ads but also on botica merchandising signs with the
battlecry--"Stop Pain! Feel Fine Again!",
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| NEW FORMULA CAFIASPIRINA, Print Ad, 1957 |
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| TRIPLE-ACTION CAFIASPIRINA, 1959. |
In the course of 10 years CAFIASPIRINA was advertised on the basis of quick action (“works
faster than wonder drugs”), efficacy (“goes straight to the source of pain”) ,
safety (“does not affect the heart”), and formulation (“ 3 marvelous pain
fighters”). The brand actively was promoted in point-of-sale, through botica merchandising
materials, premiums and giveaways.
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| RARE, ENAMEL SIGN FOR A BOTICA, Merchandising giveaway. 1950s |
Cortal, however, was perceived as a more modern
medication, and would eventually wrest market leadership from CAFIASPIRINA. CAFIASPIRINA advertising began tapering off in 1962, in favor of
Bayer Aspirin ads, and such new product launches as St. Joseph’s Aspirin, also
by Bayer. By mid 1960s, Cortal had become the best-selling pain relief brand in
the Philippines.
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| CAFIASPIRINA, strip ad, 1962 |
Today, CAFIASPIRINA
continues to be produced by Bayer and remains a strong, loyal following in
Spanish-speaking countries.
SOURCES:
