Nostalgia Sunday – Old ads are more fun

November 15, 2009 - 6:43 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Movies, Music, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture 

tal_manIf we are to learn anything from Mad Men, it’s that advertisements are most fun and best viewed in retrospect. We look back in “What were they thinking?” wonderment at the positioning of certain products. For example, here’s a slideshow of Israeli advertisements from yesteryear – including one for Osem’s Bamba as a crispy late-night party snack – a far cry from it’s primary role today as the ultimate teething toy.


Or this one, for Elite powdered instant coffee. Although it employs a completely archaic production method, “Cafe Ness” is still being consumed happily by millions. Or thousands. Or at least by me.

Here’s something you don’t see every day – an advertisement for cigarettes! With actual smoking!

And to close, an ad featuring the Yarkon Bridge Trio (Shlishiyat Gesher HaYarkon) — Benny Amdursky, Yehoram Gaon and Arik Einstein racing around town and touting the wonders of Tadiran’s new-fangled electronic devices.

As you watch, bear this in mind: TV in Israel was black & white until 1980, broadcasting was limited to one commercial-free station until 1993 and ads were shown only in movie houses.

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Bazooka Joe and Poochie

November 28, 2008 - 1:12 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business, Food, History and Culture, Israeliness, Pop Culture 

Bazooka Joe and his GangBazooka bubblegum might not have represented a revolution in chewable candy back when the product line was launched over 50 years ago, but the brand’s use of mini-comics as an added-value piggybacking promotion was a stroke of genius. The Topps baseball card publisher hired comics pioneer Wesley Morse to develop “Bazooka Joe and his Gang,” an enduring and endearing ensemble of characters that has included the turtlenecked Mort, canine companion Walkie Talkie, Jane the love interest, Hungry Herman and Toughie (a complete and illustrated chronology of the development of these characters over a half-century is enumerated here).

Joe’s cheeky adventures and one-liners have hit it big in Israeli consumerist pop culture over the years as well, thanks to a licensing deal through huge food maker Strauss-Elite, the Israeli spin-off even enjoying success as an export back to the US thanks to its kosher certification.

The quest to keep Joe relevant has been an ongoing and international process, with baggier jeans added to the character’s wardrobe in the grunge- and hip-hop-loving Nineties and new plans to even get Barack Obama involved in Topps-marketed products.

Here in Israel, a marketing campaign costing NIS 2 million is underway to cast a new character to join the Gang, as YNet’s Hebrew website has recently reported. Young Israeli chewing gum aficionados are encouraged to pitch their ideas to the Strauss-Elite decision-makers via homemade production videos, with the winner to be unveiled some time in January.

YNet quoted Elite-Strauss marketing executive Gali Shabad with words of praise on the campaign, which she claims “connects the general public to a cultural icon that we all grew up with, through the use of an interactive marketing platform” (translation ours).

Hopefully the new Israeli Gang-member will enjoy enduring longevity – unlike our beloved Poochie, may he rest in peace.

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Hummus Wars – Osem Strikes Back

August 15, 2008 - 7:31 AM by · 5 Comments
Filed under: Business, Food, General 

Tribe hummus productsReporting on some market competition intensification overseas, The Hummus Blog estimates that the American hummus market is currently worth some $250 million annually, and it’s still growing – by 78 percent in 2007. Not bad for a country that calls our beloved chickpea paste “hummus dip” (meant to be spread on “pita bread”).

Elite-Strauss, which has been manufacturing snack foods locally through a partnership with Pepsi’s Frito Lay for many years, has recently been partially bought out by the soft drink giant in an effort to pool resources and maximize American hummus market penetration. It’s a smart move for Pepsi, a brand that has done well with “ethnic” foods in the past (owning and operating the vaguely Italian-themed Pizza Hut chain as well as the somewhat Mexican-themed Taco Bell).

Strauss’ Achla supermarket hummus is Israel’s most popular and most flavorful, facts which have paved the way for success via the firm’s international Sabra Foods line, a brand not unfamiliar with courting publicity.

Osem, Strauss’ main competitor, itself a long-time partner of Nestle, has announced that it’s considering purchasing the Massachusetts-based Tribe hummus brand, which currently holds the US’s second-largest market share.

And with the popularity of the Zohan movie, a veritable long-form advertisement for Israel’s favorite paste, the international Hummus Wars are likely just getting warmed up.

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