527. A Free Christmas Gift from PURICO--BEAUTIFUL 3-DIMENSION BELEN! Promo Ad, 1953

PURICO was the very first product manufactured by Philippine Manufacturing Company (PMC), which was later bought by Procter & Gamble. Purico , a cooking-frying-baking lard, came out in 1919 and was promoted extensively though field marketing, advertising and sales promotions.

For Christmas 1953, Purico offered a full-color 3-dimensional cardboard Belen (nativity scene)  that one can have by presenting a boxtop flap plus 10 centavos. The pop-out belen set features cut-out figures and scenery-- "amazingly lifelike!", as the ad proclaimed.

An actual example of the giveaway Nativity set is shown below, plus he complete advertising copy that details the mechancis on how to get the Christmas cardboard Belen free.

YOUR FREE XMAS GIFT FROM PURICO!

BEAUTIFUL 3-DIMENSION BELEN—IN BRILLIANT Full COLOR

 Perfect Christmas touch in your home! Heavy cardboard BELEN with cut-out figures and scenery. Just open and spread up. Amazingly life-like! But remember, only requests by mail will be answered.

For each Belen you want, send One (1) boxtop with flap from any size Purico carton and 10 centavos.. You will get you Belen by return mail. Send for as many as you like but be sure to enclose 1 Purico box-top with flap AND 10 centavos for EACH Belen you want.

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If the coupon in this advertisement is already usedm  just print your name, aand address on the Purico box-top you send. Add the name of this magazine and the date at the top of the page. Send 10 c with each box-top for each Belen you want.

Don’t delay! Offer ends December 15!

496. FREE! NATIVITY STATUETTES from LADY'S CHOICE, KNORR, ALSA, ROYAL, Print Ad, 1978

BRIGHTENING YOUR HOMES WITH NATIVITY STATUETTES, Print Ad, 1978

In 1978, a consortium of products--LADY'S CHOICE (juices, spreads, pickles, dressings), KNORR (bouillons, seasonings), ALSA (gelatines, custards,  desserts), and ROYAL (pasta, noodles) came up with a holiday collectible promo, where one could assemble a set of plastic Nativity Statuettes for a Christmas Belen. The Nativity figures--15 in all-- are packed FREE with every purchase of the participating products, a fitting Christmas decor for your home. The completed set includes figures of the Holy Family, 3 Kings, Shepherds, Animals and an Angel.  Seek--and you shall find the spirit of Christmas in these handsome Nativity Statuettes!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

422. MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES, "Nursery Rhyme" Campaign, 1989

MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES "Woman in a Shoe" PRINT AD, 1989

By the late 1980s, MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES was already an established instant noodle brand from Nestlé. It was supported by annual advertising campaigns developed by Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising.

 One such notable tri-media campaign was inspired by a nursery rhyme “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”, that originally talked about an old mother’s dilemma over her many children.

WATCH THE MAGGI RCH MAMI NOODLES "Nursery Rhyme" TVC HERE:

Source: Youtube Video uploaded by AlanChan80 

The popular Mother Goose rhyme was given a new spin, in which the many versions of MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES were presented as the perfect answers to satisfying a large brood. The copy retained the rhyme format, but rewritten this way:

“There was a woman who lived in a shoe 

She had so many children, and she knew what to do

She gave them some MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES

Rich delicious noodles, in rich flavorful soup

Steaming hit and hearty, to the delight of the whole group

“Tasty Chicken!” “Real Beefy!”

“Zesty Chicken Asado!” “Spicy Curry!”

“Mmm, love ‘em, mom!”, they said,

And she kissed them all soundly, and sent them to bed".

The sales promotion component of this campaign was a giveaway activity book, MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES Nursery Rhyme Games, that contained coloring pages, dot-to-dot, puzzles and games.

CREDITS:

Advertiser: Nestlé MAGGI

Agency: Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising

Creative Director: Cid V. Reyes

Copywriter: Isabel Beltran / Art Director: Bingo Bautista

SOURCES

1990 MAGGI RICH MAMI NOODLES,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv0FjucrFG0

uploaded by 莢豌豆本舗, 2018. uploaded by The Real AianChan80, Jan. 10, 2018

莢豌豆本舗

406. Miss Universe 1969 GLORIA DIAZ: Universal Beauty Calendar Insert, from SEIKO, 1970

GLORIA DIAZ , IN A SEIKO CALENDAR GIVEAWAY, 1970

One of the favorite giveaways of companies during Christmas and the New Year are calendars—chosen for their practical use, and for decorative purpose. Indeed, SEIKO WATCHES made sure their premium calendar—given free as an insert in magazines---will be most appreciated, as the company tapped the year’s reigning Miss Universe 1969, 18 year old  Gloria Aspillera Diaz, to grace the one-sheet calendar. Diaz was hailed as the very first Filipina Miss Universe, and went on to become a successful actress and showbiz personality.

SEIKO, the Japanese company that made quality  watches, clocks, and timepieces, was founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo.  SEIKO  has distinguished itself as the most dependable, innovative (the company was one of those that launched the first quartz watches in the world)  and durable brand of timepieces in the market.

 SEIKO WATCHES were already available in the Philippines in the late 1960s, with many service centers nationwide. Today, they are sold by Seiko Philippines is a Filipino-owned corporation designated as the  authorized seller and service center of Seiko Watch Corporation in the country.

394. THE PREMIUM GLASSES OF CAFE PURO, 1966-1969

CAFE PURO RAINBOW GLASSES, 1969

 INSTANT CAFÉ PURO, the coffee brand produced by Commonwealth Foods Inc., had established its dominance in the coffee market in the 1950s, and continued to do so in the 60s, even as other brands like Nescafe and the relatively newer Blend 45 began to step up their advertising and promotional push in the 1960s. 

CAFE PURO ANNIVERSARY CRYSTAL GLASSES, 1966

To maintain interest in the brand, CAFÉ PURO offered many promotions in succession. Beginning in 1966, it began packaging its coffee in reusable, decorated drinking-glass type jars that became keepsakes for its customers, long after the coffee had been used up. The “collective glass” packages, as premiums, provided added value to the brand.

CAFE PURO SPARKLING CRYSTAL GLASSES, 1966

The CAFÉ PURO glasses were so popular that for 3 successive years, they were offered as bonus giveaways. The first of these were the CAFÉ PURO Crystal Glass Collection, given away on the occasion of CFI’s 5^th Anniversary, Decorated with applied “sparkle’ designs, the large glasses were also available wit their Café Bueno and Le Café variants.

CAFE PURO ANNIVERSARY CRYSTAL GLASSES, 1966

That collection were quickly followed by their most well received glass premiums ever—the CAFÉ PURO Folk Dance Collection, launched in 1967. The series featured glasses native folk dance illustrations like “Itik-Itik”, “Maglalatik”, “Tahing Baila”, “Pandanggo sa Ilaw”, and many more. But CAFÉ PURO went steps further by incorporating the sme folk dance them in giveway pitchers and shakers as well. The collection was so well received that the promo ran for 2 years.

CAFE PURO FOLK DANCE GLASSES, 1967

Finally, in 1969, CAFÉ PURO rolled out its products in eye-catching colored glass packaging, promoted as the CAFÉ PURO Rainbow Glass Collection. Again, the elegant glass set was snapped up as soon as they appeared on supermarket shelves. Its competitors quickly recognized the value of these innovative packaging that pretty soon, its chief rival, Nescafe, began offering glasses of different designs as well, like the nescafe Diamond Cut glass, as well as classic glass multi-purpose jars,

 But the CAFÉ PURO glasses were unrivalled for their creative design and durability, so it is no wonder that they can still be found today still in use in homes, or stored away in somebody else’s old “platera” or tableware cabinets.

388. HORLICK’S MALTED MILK, 1927-1930 Ads

HORLICK'S PHILIPPINE AD, 1930s

HORLICK’S  is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by British-born founders and brother  James and William Horlick way back in 1873. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food," soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In 1918, World War I  British soldiers brought it to India, where it achieved popularity as a family drink.

In Britain, HORLICK’S  was a favorite bedtime, while in other markets, it was promoted as a breakfast drink. It was in the 1920s that HORLICK’S MALTED MILK reached the Philippines and hailed as “the drink for all ages”.  HORLICK’S contains extracts of malted barley and wheat, mineral salts and milk, ingredients needed for ideal nutrition.

Early  Phil. HORLICK'S AD, 1927

The primary markets of this imported milk brand were undernourished Filipino children and women who are both beauty and health-conscious. It was sold in glass jars by druggists and leading grocers, and had the backing of doctors and nurses.

 The imported product was available through the next decades. There were even HORLICK’S Malted Tablets what were sold as candy, and which were supplied to the U.S. and UK. Troops as energy-boosting treats during the war. These HORLICK’S Tablets also became available in the country.

HORLICK'S GLASS PREMIUM, 1950a

HORLICK’S came under the ownership of  GlaxoSmithKline (Consumer Healthcare) in Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the U.K. until it was acquired by Unilever in 2018. The icon brand with a rich history is still in production today.

304. Advertising Premium: PLAZA LUNCH ADVERTISING MIRROR

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Celluloid pocket mirrors were favorite advertising giveaways of establishments like Plaza Lunch, a Manila restaurant established in 1914, touted as "The Only Place In The Orient"--whatever that means. 

Though popular in its time, I have not uncovered much information about Plaza Lunch, but a lot can be told about its manager-founder, American Fred M. Harden. Harden married Filipina Esperanza Perez in 1917, and together they started several successful businesses, acquiring prime real estate and valuable property. 

In 1938, they stopped living together. In connivance with another Filipino, Fred spirited away cash and assets from his wife, thus committing fraud in the administration of their conjugal ownership of properties. Sued by his wife in a case that reached the Supreme Court, Harden was subsequently jailed at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

264. DRINKING GLASSES from CAFÉ PURO, BLEND 45 AND NESCAFE, BLEND 45, 1966-1975.

Before the 1960s decade, there were just a handful of coffee brands in the market—like Hills Bros. and Chase & Sanborn, which were American imports. Then, Commonwealth Foods, Inc. began manufacturing the post-war brand CAFÉ PURO, and by 1951, it had become the no.1 selling coffee brand nationwide, a position it held until the 1960s came along.

This was when more coffee brands came into the fray--Consolidated Food Corporation (CFC), founded in 1961 by John Gokongwei Jr., introduced BLEND 45, an affordable coffee that became known as “the people’s coffee”, with its budget-friendly price and favorable taste. 

NESCAFE, was introduced in the mid 50s decade by Nestlé, and aggressively advertised in the 60s.

With more competitors coming into the picture, all sorts of promotions were launched to entice customers and add more product value. Using a reusable packaging as added product value was an old—but a proven tried and tested idea. It came naturally for coffee brands too. In the post-war 50s, coffee brands still came in round tins, including NESCAFE.  

Then, with the advent of instant coffee brands, wide-mouth glass jars were utilized, and discarded or sold after use. But what if the packaging had more utilitarian value after the product has been consumed?

CRYSTAL ANNIVERSARY GLASS WITH FLIP-OFF CAP, 1966 Print Ad

This led to the  idea of packaging instant coffee in drinking glasses that could be used long after the last coffee drop has been sipped. The glass serves also as a remnder of the pleasure of the coffee-drinking experience. It also helped that specially-designed, set-building glasses encouraged repeat purchases as they became collectibles.

 

CRYSTAL ANNIVERSARY GLASSES, 199 Print Ad

The free, giveaway glasses were given fanciful names to appeal to consumers’ eye. As expected, market leader CAFÉ PURO came out first with its “Crystal Glasses”--to celebrate its 15th anniversary-- with flip-off plastic caps in 1966. 

GLASSES, PITCHER AND SHAKERS FROM CAFE PURO, 1967 Ad

The promotion was so enthusiastically received that the next year, CAFÉ PURO launched  their “Philippine Dance” glass series—with not just 12 glasses but also coffee shakers to collect.

 

CAFE PURO RAINBOW GLASSES, 1969 Print Ad

In 1969, CAFÉ PURO offered its “Rainbow Glasses” collection, with “colors a-glow-glow”! There were 6 colors of glasses to choose from.

 

IMPERIAL CRYSTAL GLASSES FROM BLEND 45, 1967 Ad

Not to be outdone, BLEND 45 came up with its “Windsor Crystal Party Glasses” and “Crystal Imperial Glasses” offer, which were all successful.  The more premium NESCAFE introduced its decaffeinated brand in squat "diamond" glasses with repeating diamond shapes in raised relief. Many of these glasses could still be found being used in many Filipino homes to this day, still stored and kept in glass cabinets after all these years.

 

NESCAFE ESPRESSO IN DIAMOND GLASS, 1975 Ad

Eventually, the promotions came to include storage jars, pitchers,--and with the surge in popularity of coffee houses—coffee mugs in glass and ceramic, like what NESCAFE and CAFÉ PURO use.  BLEND 45, meanwhile, has done away with glass bottles and uses only foil packs today.

256. MILO’s TRIBUTE TO SUPER ATHLETES, 1980

1980 was an Olympic year and to tide on the sporting craze, MILO—theOlympic Energy Drink-- launched its Free SUPER ATHLETES Promo. These were giveaway standing plastic athele figures given away with every tin of MILO.

There were 8 athletes to choose from—Gymnast, Shotputter, Football Player, Diver, Torch Bearer, Runner, Javelin Thrower and Weightlifter. They were available in Red, Blue, Green and Yellow Colors.

 

Photo used  with permission. Nicky Hernandez Collection

The SUPER ATHLETES can be collected for playing the MILO Super Sports Game. The gameboards could be clipped from selected magazines and newspapers.

However, there was a major boycott of the Moscow Games in 1980, as a potest for the Soviet invasion of Afghanstan. This resulted in the non-participation of major countries including U.S.A. and other western nations, and the organization of the alternative Goodwill Games. Similarly, in the next 1984 Olympics, the games were boycotted by Russia and the eastern bloc countries.

It is good to know that the 30^th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines, which is wrapping up this week,  continues to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship and friendly competition, untouched by politics and contentious politicians. Here’s to all the SUPER ATHLETES of the SEA Games!!

CREDITS:
Many Thanks to Nicky Hernandez for the use of his Super Athletes collection photo.

61. Promotional Premiums: CAFE PURO FOLK DANCE GLASSES, 1967

INSTANT CAFE PURO FOLK DANCE GLASS PROMO, Launch Print Ad, featured the ceremonial dance of the Maranaos, called "Singkil". It was popularized by the world-famous Bayanihan Dance Troupe. 1967.

Cafe Puro Folk Dance Glasses

INSTANT CAFE PURO was a product of the original Commonwealth Foods Inc. that was founded in 1951. 

It produced ground coffee beginning in 1952 and in 1956, ComFoods Inc. opened the country’s first instant and soluble coffee manufacturing plant. 

Café Puro—known for its brewed coffee taste—became its flagship brand. By the 60s, Cafe Puro was an established local coffee brand that became very popular nationwide.

In 1967, flavor-rich Instant Café Puro, launched a promotion that promised to bring exciting news to your coffee table. Café Puro was packaged in crystal glasses tastefully decorated with Folk Dance designs in various colors.

There was a selection of 12 dances to choose from, from Singkil, Maglalatik, Pandanggo sa Ilaw to more exotic dances like Tahing Baila and Bontoc War Dance. 

Instant Café Puro’s Folk dance promo proved to be a hit—consumers started collecting the durable glasses illustrated with folk dances made popular by the world-renowned Bayanihan Dance Troupe.

Later in the year, after giving away these beautiful glasses, Instant Café Puro offered Party Pitchers and Beverage Shakers that replicated the folk dance designs of the glasses.  These premiums were available in all variants: Le Cafe, Soluble Café Puro and Instant Café Puro.

Today, these Café Puro Folk Dance Glasses  can be found in collectible shops and thrift stores—still collectible after all these years. They make better freebies than those pricey mugs that today's brewed coffee shops sell--all you get is their company logo. In 1967, you get to drink and dance with Instant Cafe Puro!

33. DECK YOUR HOMES WITH A BELEN AND A CHRISTMAS TREE FROM PURICO!

A PREMIUM XMAS BELEN--FREE FROM PURICO! 1953

PURICO was the very first product manufactured by Philippine Manufacturing Company (PMC), which was later bought by Procter & Gamble. Purico , a cooking-frying-baking lard, came out in 1919 and was promoted extensively though field marketing, advertising and sales promotions. For Christmas 1953, Purico offered a full-color 3-dimensional cardboard Belen (nativity scene)  that one can have by presenting a boxtop flap plus 10 centavos. The pop-out belen set features cut-out figures and scenery-- "amazingly lifelike!", as the ad proclaimed.

SPARKLING XMAS TREE, FREE FROM PURICO. 1955.

In 1955, Purico launched another Christmas giveaway promo--this time a sparkling Christmas Tree offer--for just 1 Purico boxtop plus--25 centavos! (over 100% increase from their 1953 promo!). The cardboard Christmas Tree stands 12 inches and comes with 20 shiny ornaments. Like the Belen, the premium is available only by mail. 

Merry Christmas, from Purico!