In the early twentieth century, many food companies realised that marketing products directly to children could be worthwhile. Recent research has confirmed that they were quite correct to suppose that advertising could influence children’s preferences both for types of food and for particular brands (McGinnes et al, 2006). There is a positive aspect to this development, as it is evidence that children were seen as consumers in their own right and could/should influence decisions about what they ate. One company which put a huge amount of resourcing into this was Ovaltine. Ovaltine is a drink combining barley malt, milk, egg and cocoa, which was first formulated by Dr George Wander in 1904. It was promoted, and still is promoted, as a healthy drink, rich in vitamins and minerals. (R.Twining and Co., 2023). In the 1930s, it launched a hugely impressive – some might say aggressive – multi-pronged advertising campaign, targeted squarely at children. It provided a model for others to follow, although it remained exceptional in its comprehensive scope.
The League of Ovaltineys
The foundation stone of the campaign was the children’s club, The League of Ovaltineys. This was run by the “Chief Ovaltiney’ and the figureheads were the (fictional) family of Elsie, Winnie and Johnny - healthy and happy children thanks to their Ovaltine. The rule book sent to members built up excitement by placing a huge emphasis on secrecy and special codes – but interestingly, it responsibly insisted that mother and father were honorary members and secrets should never be kept from them. The rules prescribed a healthy lifestyle with sufficient sleep, exercise and eating fruit and vegetables. As part of this regime, children were told that they must promise to drink Ovaltine every day so as to be ‘healthy, happy and full of vim’. The welcome letter encouraged children to proselytize among their friends to get them involved too. By 1939, there were 5 million members (Crissell, 1997). The club enjoyed a brief revival in the 1960s under the name 'Ovaltiners'.
The Ovaltiney’s Own Comic
This comic was a free insert inside popular titles such as The Target, The Dazzler and The Rocket. It featured cartoons about the family life of Elsie, Winnie and Johnnie, with convenient mentions of Ovaltine (‘Surprise – those girls like their little jokes almost as much as their Ovaltine’) ( 1931, pg. 1). There were also competitions with Ovaltine based prizes, and reminders of members’ obligations to drink Ovaltine every day. Those readers who were not club members were encouraged to join so as to have access to the parts of the comic that were written in the Ovaltiney’s secret code.
The Ovaltiney Programme
The Ovaltineys had their own radio show on Radio Luxembourg from 5:30 to 6:30 every Sunday afternoon, which featured a mixture of songs and stories. The first show, possibly a pilot, was broadcast on 23rd December 1934, according to a letter from Stephen Williams, the Director General of the radio station, which is held in the Dacorum Heritage Collection. There were regular broadcasts from 1935 on. The Ovaltiney's rule book required members to listen as the programme was ‘for [their] special benefit and entertainment’. On one occasion, The Luxembourg secret service visited to enquire about the 'secret codes' and what they were used for.
The theme song, written by Harry Hemsley, was popular for decades. The lyrics are available at https://wellcomecollection.org/works/de2b7fn3 and recordings can be found on numerous sites on Youtube (search 'We are the Ovalineys').
Is this a useful approach today?
Advertising to children has caused concern because most food and drink that has been marketed to these consumers is low in nutritional value and high in fat and sugar (McGinnes et al, 2006). Television advertisements for such food cannot be shown during programmes for children in the UK (although of course they see them at other times). With regard to non-broadcast media, the Committee of Advertising published guidelines in 2017 that required manufacturers of such products to avoid ‘high pressure’ and ‘hard sell’ marketing. Adverts should not suggest that products make children ‘more confident, clever, popular or successful’. They should also not encourage children to ask parents for particular brands (CAP 2017, p.3-4). But how do we, as a society, feel about sophisticated marketing techniques for healthier products (as Ovaltine claims to be) or healthy eating in general? Should we embrace it, as a method to combat the current perceived crisis in children’s health? Or is such manipulation something that should make us feel a bit queasy, however good the cause?
References
Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) (2017) ‘Food and Soft Drink Advertising to Children: Advertising Guidance (Non-broadcast). Available at https://www.asa.org.uk/static/uploaded/f18d9c79-2773-42af-90c6ac07bfd61b91.pdf
Crissell, A. (1997) An Introductory History of British Broadcasting, London: Routledge
McGinnis, J., Appleton Gootman, J. and Kraak, V. (2006) Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
Ovaltine’s Own Comic (1931) Volume 1, No. 12. January 11th.
R.Twining and Co. (2023) ‘Nutritiously Delicious’ Available at https://twinings.co.uk/blogs/news/ovaltine
With thanks to Therese Clews, Collections Manager, Dacorum Heritage
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