MISCELLANEOUS ABERNETHY AND JUNGLIES (c.1969) film no: 4015

This is one of a large collection of films made by Rowntree’s of York (now Nestlé).  Most of the films came via the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, based at the University of York.  Other films have come from different sources, such as Ken Clough, a former engineering designer for Rowntree who filmed many of their manufacturing processes.  The vast bulk of the films are adverts for their confectionary products: including Rolo, Black Magic, Toffee Crisp, Smarties, Milky Bar, KitKat, Dairy Box and many other brands made between 1929 and 1990.  The earliest one of the adverts is Mr York of York, Yorks, the first animated advertisement to be made, in 1929, with synchronised sound - also online.  For an overview of Rowntree's, chocolate and advertising see the Contexts for Mr York of York, Yorks and Tokens (1962-63).  For an overview of the Rowntree’s business see After Eight Adverts (1962).

All of the products seen on this film reel have subsequently disappeared from the market, and most seem to have disappeared also from the collective memory – if the internet is anything to go by (try junglies).  Of course those who got hooked on any product will have their memories, and sometimes these get placed on the internet – but of course the internet is geared to the age in which it was formed, and the predominance of commercial interests militates against interest in the past.  This goes for the two products featured here.

Cabana bars were a chewy mixture of coconut and cherry bits with a toffee, or caramel, layer on top covered in chocolate.  Presumably they came out just after the merger of Rowntree and Mackintosh in 1969.  Judging by the postings to the ‘A Quarter Of’ they were quite popular.  One of the postings describes them as a “posh bounty” and speculates that they were stopped in the early 1990s.  The association with Bounty, and the coconut filling, is also made in these adverts, both using commercials with a tropical island setting.  However, Bounty, first brought out by the US giant Mars in 1951, demonstrates the general rule that the earlier a sweet product is launched the longer it tends to stay on the market.

Judging by the correspondence between Rowntree and the advertising agency J.W. Thompson, plans for the new product of Cherries in the Dark started as early as January 1965, with market research starting in January 1967 and production beginning in March 1967.  J Walter Thompson also marketed other Rowntree products, including Yorkie – see the Context for Yorkie (1976).  The chocolates only lasted until August 1970.  This advert would have gone out in either 1968 or 1969, before the merger of Rowntree with Mackintosh. 

It is noticeable that it is in black and white whilst the Cabana ad is in colour.  The first colour broadcast was July 1st 1967 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship.  By December 1967 BBC Two were broadcasting 80% of its programmes in colour.  But it wasn’t until 1969 that BBC1 and ITV were regularly broadcasting in colour – apparently prompting a strike for increased pay at ITV.  Even then programmes made on video, like Dr Who, continued in black and white until 1970. It wasn’t until then that sales of colour TVs picked up.   The first colour commercial didn’t appear until November 1969, for Birds Eye frozen peas (shown on ATV Midlands at 10:05 am during Thunderbirds).  

References

Borthwich Archives, Rowntree/R/DD/MA/2  1966-1970
A Quarter Of
British TV History