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Vegemite Brand History and Marketing

Vegemite is an iconic Australian brand that was first launched in 1922 when it was developed as a vitamin B spread. It gained popularity through advertising campaigns in the 1950s featuring the "Happy Little Vegemites" jingle. Most Australians are still familiar with this jingle today. Vegemite has been consistently marketed towards families as a nutritious food and celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2008 as still being found in many Australian homes.

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ChetanBansal
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49 views2 pages

Vegemite Brand History and Marketing

Vegemite is an iconic Australian brand that was first launched in 1922 when it was developed as a vitamin B spread. It gained popularity through advertising campaigns in the 1950s featuring the "Happy Little Vegemites" jingle. Most Australians are still familiar with this jingle today. Vegemite has been consistently marketed towards families as a nutritious food and celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2008 as still being found in many Australian homes.

Uploaded by

ChetanBansal
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

MARKETING FOCUS

"OLtDLY MADE IN AtJSTRAUA SINCE 19Z3


VEGEMITE CELEBRATES ITS 85TH
ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR
BRAND STORY
VEGEMITE
Vegemite is today considered an iconic
Australian brand, despite its hunible
beginnings as "pure vegetable extract".
^ ^ f t ^ K egemite's first appearance on
^ ^ & ^ ^ V Australian grocsry shelves
^ H ^ V occurred in 1922, when chemist
^ ^ ^ V Dr Cyril Callister was hired by
^ ^ V the Fred Walker Company to
develop a vitamin B spread. Accompanying the
product's launch was a campaign in the form of a
competition, offering Aussies the chance to name
the spread. The prize was 50 and it was won by
Walker's own daughter who chose the name
Vegemite. In 1923, the spread was launched in
groceries around the country with the description:
"Delicious on sandwiches and toast, and improves
the flavour of soups, stews and gravies."
Immediately prior to the outbreak of World
War II. Vegemite gained official product
endorsement from the British Medical
Association, which allowed the spread to be
advertised in the Australian MedlcalJournal.
Doctors recommended Vegemite as a Vitamin B-
rich, nutritionally balanced food.
After World War 11, Australia experienced a
post-war baby boom, which created a huge market
for Vegemite, Infant Welfare Centres soon
recommended babies have their quota of Vitamin
Bl,B2andNiacin.
In 1950 Vegemite moved under the Kraft Foods
umbrella and the company has since consistently
reinforced the food value and "Australian-ness" of
Vegemite. If asked, most Australians could sing the
Happy Little Vegemites jingle, which was written
by advertising agency [Link] Thompson, and
first performed on radio in 1954.
Two years later, Kraft adapted the popular
campaign for a television audience. It showed
healthy children in happy scenes. This campaign
continued intermittently on radio and television
until the late 1960s,
The "Happy little Vegemites" campaign was
then replaced with other commercials depicting
Vegemite as a nutritional food for people of all
ages. But in the iate 1980s, the original
commercials were colourised so that new
generations of Australians could experience the
nostalgia of Vegemite,
The Happy little Vegemiiesjingle still plays
through all Vegemite commercials, securing its
place in the market. As Vegemite celebrates its
B5th birthday this year, it is still found in many
Australian homes.
As Kraft directed its marketing towards
families, consumers began associating Vegemite
with their childhood. Along with celebrating
Vegemite's 80th birthday in 2003, the brand
launched the "Spread the Smile" campaign,
associating the spread with childhood memories.
Today, Kraft hopes the future for Vegemite is - to
quote a line from its early advertisements - "as
bright as bright can be'!
IF ASKED, MOST
AUSTRALIANS COULD
SING THE EAPPY LITTLE
VEGEMITES JINGLE.
WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY
ADVERTISING AGENCY
J, WALTER THOMPSON,
AND EIRST PERFORMED
ON RADIO IN 1954,
O I AT A GLANCE
The name Vegemite was created in 1923 through a
nationwide competition with a prize of 50,
After the success of the limited edition "Vegemite
Plate" in 2000. the "Vegemite Mug" promotion was
launched. Multi-purpose jars were introduced and
once the jar was empty it could be used as an egg
cup, salt and pepper shaker or mustard pot (com-
plete with spoon),
Vegemite was advertised in the Australian Medical
Journal and doctors increasingly recommended it
as a nutritionally balanced food.
The Vegemite logo is now embossed on the top of
the lid and the back label carries a short story
about how the spread came to be.
Written with the help of
46 B A N D T . CO M . A U OCTOBER 24 2008
REFERENCE
'VEGEMITE' 2008, B&T Magazine, 58, 2679, p. 46, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 23
April 2014.

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