333. WHITE KING FLOUR AND MIXES, Republic Flour Mills, 1960S Ads

AN EARLY WHITE KING FLOUR AD, check out the king mascot, 1962

Republic Flour Mills (now known as RFM Corporation), was the country’s first flour mill, established all the way back in August 16, 1957—even though wheat wasn;t really grown locally. It introduced Filipinos to a brand of all-purpose flour named WHITE KING, which, through appealing advertising and strong sales promotions, became very popular in the Philippines. By 1962, WHITE KING was an established flour brand, bolstered by a new Cake Flour line.

WHITE KING OMNIBUS AD, 1964

But much as Filipinos craved for cakes, the baked confections were just too inconvenient to common families who only had wood-fed or gas stoves in their kitchens; even with cake flour mixes, they were just too cumbersome to create. Thus, things took a turn for the better with the introduction of the WHITE KING Hotcake, Waffle,  Doughnut  and Bibingka Mixes—all-time Filipino favorites that didn’t require baking, frosting, and much fuss.

WHITE KING HOTCAKE MIX & DOUGHNUT MIX AD, 1962

WHITE KING Hotcake and Waffle Mix became the company’s bestseller through the years, and today, it continues to be produced by RFM,  in the Creamy Classic and Complete varieties (just add one egg, maple syrup comes free!). The original WHITE KING All-Purpose Flour, Bibingka and Chocolate Cake are still very much around too, but Brownies, Crinkles, and Puto are also now part of the current offerings of  this  heritage brand that has been around for over 60 years. 

 .

294. ROYAL SPAGHETTI of California Manufacturing Company, 1962-79

ROYAL SPAGHETTI, New Packaging, 1968

The Philippine manufacturing plant known as the California Manufacturing Company (CMC) began operations in 1955, and its pioneer product was the iconic ROYAL line of pasta products. The most popular of course, is ROYAL SPAGHETTI, which, from the 60s until today, continues to be a familiar sight in daily meals, birthday, fiesta celebrations and holidays.

ROYAL SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS, 1962

There was even a canned version of ROYAL SPAGHETTI, complete with meatballs, launched in 1962, but did not take off, as it is the habit of most Filipinos to prepare and customize their own spaghetti and pasta dishes. ROYAL SPAGHETTI was packed in yellow and red cardboard cartons with the familiar “Royal” font that has remained unchanged over the years. Also aavailable was ROYAL Macaroni, in shell and elbow types.

ROYAL SPAGHETTI CHRISTMAS AD, 1979

ROYAL also joined the instant noodle bandwagon in 1978, with its Chicken and Beef variants in pouches (“Noodles na mainit…in just two minutes!) , but it was its pasta flagship brand that would remain consistently popular. The advertising was handled for the longest time by Pacifica Publicity Bureau, and its memorable campaigns included the “Royal celebration” campaign, rolled out in the Christmas of 1968.

 In 2014, Food and beverage firm RFM Corp.acquired the ROYAL Pasta brand from the Unilever Group, which had bought CMC in 2000.  ROYL thus joined RFM’s own pasta line under the “Fiesta” brand, still in exsistence today. The transaction was valued at over P2 Billion, which covers mainly the Royal brand and inventories. For 6 decades now, ROYAL SPAGHETTI continues to be a bestseller, made to match with a whole new line of pasta sauces, for taste variety.

CREDITS:

AGENCY: Pacifica Publicity Bureau

Creative Director: Nonoy Gallardo

Copy Group Head: Vince Pozon

Copywriter: Betty Ann Quirino

CLIENT: California Manufacturing Corp. (CMC)

245. Brand Icon: Republic Flour Mills’ PAPA PICCOLINO

In 1968, the country was introduced to PAPA PACCOLINO a jolly, portly Italian chef with his trademark mustache. He was the brand character for a new line of “Real Italian” boxed pasta products for dishes and soups.

PAPA PICCOLIMO, 1968 AD

 

PAPA PICCOLINO NOODLE AD,1968

 It was by Republic Flour Mills (now RFM Corporation), which ventured into flour manufacturing in 1957, even though wheat wasn't being grown in the Philippines.

LISTEN TO THE SONG THAT INSPIRED

THE BRAND NAME OF PAPA PICCOLINO

The name  PAPA PACCOLINO was reworked from the title of a 1953 hit song, “Poppa Piccolino", sung by Diana Decker The brand was active throughout the rest of the '60s, its line expanding to include soup varities and pizzas.

 

PAPA PICCOLINO SPAGHETTI AD, 1972

PAPA PCCOLINO SPAGHETTI & MACARONI, 1960S, source: Pinterest

Papa Piccolino appeared practically in all print materials, but the novelty wore off as the '70s rolled in. PAPA PACCOLINO was replaced with a real endorser, host-singer Pepe Pimentel, who more or less exuded the same chirpy, friendly vibe as the cartoon character.

PAPA PICCOLINO ENDORSED BY PEPE PIMENTEL, 1973

SOURCES:

DIANA DECKER-POPPA PICCOLINO (1953), uploaded by GoldenOldiesOn45RPM,June 8 2010.

235. Cosmos Orange Rebranded: SUNTA, “We Wunta Sunta”, 1972

SUNTA, 'KATAS-CALIFORNIA' RELAUNCH AD,1972

The new Cosmos Bottling Corp. came to be in 1945, rebuilt by Henry Gao Hong- Wong, that was originally founded as Maila Aerated water Co. back in 1918 by his father Wong Ning.  Unfortunately, the Guangdong migrant would pass away in prison during World War II.

Cosmos sarsaparilla was the company’s flagship product, which took the market by storm. To complement the root beer flavor, it also came up with Cream Soda, Lime, Lemon, Mulberry, Grape, Pineapple and Orange variants. By the 60s, only Sarsaparilla and Orange were the most viable of the Cosmos bottle beverage products.

Cosmos Orange was just a mere tag on mainstream “Sarsi” (short for sarsaparilla) advertising, casually mentioned as “Also available in Orange Flavor”, in the late 60s.  

In 1972, Cosmos reformulated its orange beverage, and improved on its orange flavor, dimensionalized as “Katas-California” (juice from California oranges). The company decided to rebrand it as it was also awkward to call it Sarsi Orange. Thus Orange Cosmos became SUNTA.

It was relaunched on the strength of its “Katas-California” taste, and sold at 15 centavos (up by 5 centavos in 1969), but the execution looked more like a fruit juice ad than a soft drink lifestyle commercial.

LISTEN TO THE SUNTA 

"I WUNTA SUNTA" JINGLE HERE:

The next year, a new SUNTA advertising campaign burst on TV screens featuring a catchy slogan, “We wunta SUNTA”, that certainly helped in creating brand awareness for the new reformulated product. It also gave the brand a new, distinct identity—pushed by a light, lilty jingle sung by Fides Cuyugan-Asencio and composed by the prodigious Jose Mari Chan.

SUNTA made use of the precocious child star Niño Muhlach, who lent his cuteness to the brand by way of TV commercial appearances. 

SUNTA enjoyed a short-lived boom as a price range soda brand, but by the early 70, the Philippine economy was floundering and the peso lost its buying power. From 10 centavos in 1969, its price increased to 25 centavos by 1975. But SUNTA stayed on, until the business floundered after Henry Wong’s death. RFM acquired the company in 1989.

SOURCE:
'Strictly Commercial", Jose Mari Chan "The Jingles Collection"CD.

110. Brand Stories: COSMOS (SARSI) of Cosmos Bottling Corp.

COSMOS 1963 print ad. At its peak, it was the no. 1 sarsaparilla soda in the market.

One of the more popular alternative soda brands in the Philippines after the war was a product of the Manila Aerated Water Factory, located on Misericordia St., Manila. It was founded way back in 1918 by Wong Ning, a Guangdong native who migrated to the Philippines. He would be arrested and jailed by the Japanese during World War II for his association with the Kuomintang government, where he would tragically die in prison.

VERY EARLY COSMOS AD. 1955. Only 5 centavos per bottle!

The eldest of his 7 children—Henry Gao-Hong Wong—rebuilt the business post-war and renamed it in 1945 as COSMOS Bottling Corporation.

THE BEST SARSAPARILLA!

Its main product was a flavored beverage called COSMOS Sarsaparilla. Sarsaparilla—similar to root beer—is made from the roots of the sarsaparilla vine, and is considered as a tonic drink with medicinal value. The flavor is not alien to Filipinos, as root beer was introduced by Americans in their regime; Royal, and early soda brand, carried the same flavor.

'SARSI' IS COSMOS. This 1968 ad calls the sarsaparilla drink--Sarsi!

Print advertising was begun in the mid 1950s. Soon, COSMOS found its way to Filipino homes and became quickly a favorite, holding its own against leaders Pepsi and Coca-Cola. The company, would prosper under the management of  the Philippine-educated Henry, who was armed with a doctoral degree in Economics from the University of Santo Tomas. COSMOS Bottling Corp,,under his helm, became the second largest manufacturer of soft drinks in the Philippines.

SARSI AD, Featuring the 1968 Miss Asia, Macy Shih,  and her court, ca. 1969

This paved the way for the Wong family to put up the COSMOS Aerated Water in Hong Kong in 1947, with its own plant on Castle Peak Road.  COSMOS, too, became a favorite brand, and soon, they expanded their plant and equipped it with state-of-the-art bottling machines that could produce 3,000 bottled Cosmos per hour, in Sarsaparilla, Orange, Cream Soda, Lime, Lemon, Mulberry, Grape and Pineapple flavors. The Hong Kong operation was taken care of by younger brother Hubert and Freddy Wong. After 1966, the COSMOS Hong Kong business seemed to have faltered, although its corporate registration is still active today.

SARSI AD. With Miss Asia 1969, Wong Kyung Suh of Korea as endorser,

THE SARSI SOCIETY, With Miss Asia '69 and her court. ca. 1970.

The sarsaparilla flavor of COSMOS was such in demand by the late 1960s, and consumers by then had started calling it “Sarsi”—and so the name stuck, even though the bottles still bannered the COSMOS name up front. COSMOS in orange flavor was relaunched in the early 70s as SUNTA.

CHRISTMAS AD, With the 1969 Miss Asia. ca. 1969

LET'S SARSI TOGETHER! With India's Zeenat Amman, Miss Asia '70.

By a cruel twist of fate, the brilliant Henry--only 53-- died of a stroke caused  by his brain tumor in 1970. Several family members were unprepared to fill in the leadership vacuum left by the patriarch, as there was no training for succession.

THE SARSI SOCIETY, With Carolyn Masibay, Mutya ng Pilipinas 1971.

Still, advertising and promotions continued through the 1970s, with colored ads featuring Miss Asia and Mutya winners (COSMOS was into events marketing; it was a major sponsor of Miss Asia and  Mutya ng Pilipinas). One of its most memorable commercials was the “SARSI with Egg” TVC presented by imported talent Danny Vanni, who endorsed an unconventional usage for drinking Sarsi—with a raw egg stirred in, yolks and all. Such a combination supposedly ensured heightened energy.

THE SARSI SOCIETY. ca. 1971.

The business floundered until, in RFM Corporation acquired it from the Wong Family in 1989, thus ending the Wong family’s hold on COSMOS which they have had for 7 decades. The products were briefly revitalized by a new “Bagong Tunog” (all-Philippine music) campaign conceptualized by Basic Advertising.

GET IT TOGETHER WITH SARSI. Print Ad. ca. 1974.

In 2001, Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils. (under the combined control of San Miguel and Coca-Cola Company) would acquire 83% of COSMOS Bottling from RFM, to give it ownership of 90% market share of the Philippine soft drink market in the Philippines. It was delisted from the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2013.

PSST. PASS IT ON! Sarsi Print Ad, 1975.

At its peak, COSMOS Bottling Corp., were the makers of Sarsi (Sarsaparilla), Sunta (Cosmos Orange Flavor), Sarsi Light,  Pop Cola, Cheers Lemon and Orange, Jaz Cola and Sparkle.

COSMOS PRODUCTS RELAUNCH. by Basic/FCB Advertising. 1989.

SOURCES:

Cosmos Aerated Water – in Hong Kong from 1947

http://industrialhistoryhk.org/cosmos-aerated-water/

“The Fall of the Once Mighty Cosmos Soft drink Company”. https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/panay-news/20160720/281990376871997