Since the registration of the Bass triangle trademark in January 1876, the pub and brewing industry has invested substantial resources into producing merchandise to market alcohol brands. Merchandise items in the National Brewery Collection and material in the Archive include branded beer mats, ashtrays, dominoes, clocks, cigarette lighters and glasses.
The Trust recently loaned the British Promotional Merchandise Association a number of Babycham and Carling Black Label items from the Collection. As the trade body for the UK merchandise industry, they displayed the items to celebrate 60 years of merchandise at their recent conference.
“I’d love a Babycham!”
Launched in the United Kingdom in 1953, Babycham was the first alcoholic product to be advertised on British commercial television. Created by the Showerings family in Somerset, the alcoholic sparkling perry drink was marketed at women in post-war Britain. When it was sold in pubs the pint glass was not suitable to serve it. The company decided to invest in creating new glassware, modelled on the popular champagne glass of the time. The Babycham items in the Collection include the iconic gold rimmed glassware branded with the deer logo.
Phil Goodman is Chief Executive of the British Promotional Merchandise Association. He said: “Branded promotional merchandise has been a hugely effective marketing tool for decades in the drinks industry. From the iconic Babycham merchandise from the 1960’s right up to today, with contemporary brands like Beavertown Brewery using promotional merchandise and glassware as the primary mechanism to create brand awareness.”
