Back in time: Nestlé tells a story
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| First Nestlé logo |
On January 15, I did a small post on how GE turned to comic-books in 1950s to rekindle interest in science and technology among students in America. Over the last hundred years, multinational companies have used comics as a potent tool to showcase and sell a multitude of products and merchandise on one hand and educate the community on the other. In fact, early logos and adverts of companies bore a close resemblance to illustrations in children's storybooks. Others looked like picture postcards and movie posters.
The Nestlé Company was established in 1866 by Henri Nestlé, a trained pharmacist, to "help combat the problem of infant mortality due to malnutrition." Nestlé — which means 'little nest' in German — understood the power of branding. When one of his agents suggested that the nest could be exchanged for the white cross of the Swiss flag, Nestlé's response was firm: "I regret that I cannot allow you to change my nest for a Swiss cross... I cannot have a different trademark in every country; anyone can make use of a cross, but no one else may use my coat of arms."
The 'little nest' hasn't changed in nearly 150 years. You can read more about it at Nestlé.
In a related note, I hear that Hostess is going under. I remember their ads on the sides of boxes. It always worked on me.
ReplyDeleteI like the clothes in that comic strip. Makes me think of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The comic strip style is so different from the elegant kind of illustration above. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCharles, thanks for mentioning Hostess, a brand once familiar to me as Hostess Cookies. I just read that Hostess Brands, the maker of "Twinkies" and "Wonder Bread", recently filed for bankruptcy.
ReplyDeleteRon, you're welcome! Early comic strips had a distinct artistic style that I miss in modern-day comic strips and panels. Fortunately, these are available in anthologies and compendiums detailing the history of comic strips and comic books.
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