Advertising: Inventing Brands

The industrializing world of post–Civil War America created opportunities for growth and consolidation on the part of many food manufacturers, but it also presented them with a common obstacle as they expanded beyond their immediate territory: namely, how to differentiate their particular product from the competition. Until the end of the nineteenth century, almost all goods sold in stores were sold in bulk. Jobbers bought a product from the manufacturer and distributed it to neighborhood stores with nothing to identify the food’s origin. Storekeepers had no interest in scooping out one company’s flour instead of another. To create a demand for their particular product, manufacturers had to instill brand consciousness in consumers, so that a shopper would not only ask for, but demand, say, Purina flour and no other. Companies that sold basic commodities like bananas and baking powder faced the biggest challenge. The businesses that survived and prospered found their salvation in advertising their brand name in every way imaginable.