With all the modern technological advances, sophisticated formulas and marketing tools of today, you could be forgiven for thinking that traditional brands which have been around for hundreds of years may struggle to keep up with the competition in the 21stcentury. However, this couldn’t be more wrong as many brands, developed years before even our great grandparents, were born have kept fighting for their share of the market and succeeded on a monumental scale.

Copyright free image from Flickr’s Commons section

Here are some of the oldest and most successful brands, still going strong today.

Colgate

Colgate started out at the turn of the 19th century making, not toothpaste, but soap. In 1876 they started to make the product they are famous for and their reputation as the number one toothpaste manufacturer was born. Its slogan, ‘The toothpaste for people who can only brush twice a day,’ was popular with people who couldn’t brush the recommended three times a day and it has kept its popularity to this day.

Coca-cola

In 1886 fizzy drink Coca-Cola was invented and instantly became a success. Even with direct rival Pepsi, who came along in the early 1900’s, doing a good job of promoting their product, Coca-Cola were still number one. The brand name has become so strong that it appeared untouchable until the company changed its formulation in 1985 and was met with criticism across the board. It quickly altered the drink back to the original recipe and its popularity bounced back. It credits much of its success with billboards and product placement and was very forward thinking in its advertising strategies when it was first developed.

Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Since it was introduced to the UK in 1885 it has been a roaring success with every pantry and kitchen cupboard having a space for the sweet treat. It is still as popular now as it was then despite an influx of sweet processed and cheap foods and its packaging has hardly changed since the day it was first put on the shelves. The product is still popular possibly due to recommendations from family members who used it before other forms of sweeteners came on the market although it may have a fight on its hands as those generations becomes fewer and fewer.

Black and Decker

The popular DIY manufacturer has been around since 1910 and developed the first portable drill not long after. They continue to develop new, innovative products today and it is this that keeps them ahead of the game and other possible competitors. They were the name many novice DIYers could trust in the last hundred years and to this day they are the first brand many think of when they want to redecorate or embark on home improvements.

Fairy

Fairy have always used their longevity and reputation to their advantage in advertising campaigns and old television adverts are often worked into new ones to reflect how long they have been around. Their packaging and formulation has not changed much since the product was introduced to the market in 1898, however it is the brand handed down from mother to daughter to grandchildren and is ever popular today.

Pimms

The gin drink denotes connotations of warm summer days, deckchairs in the garden and maybe a game of croquet or polo. Even though these gatherings may seem a little out of date now Britain’s changing social scene has done nothing to damage the sales of the drink which was first made in 1841. Its success appears to be down, like so many other brands, to its famous name, advertising and the positive associations to the product. Although we now rarely get a summer and many of us can’t afford a day out at the park let alone polo, Pimms is still as popular as ever.

Rare bottles of Pimms. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Guinness

Guinness was born in 1759 in a small brewery in Dublin. From that point on the drink became one of Ireland’s biggest commercial successes and is one of today’s leading brands, not only in Ireland but the whole world. It puts a huge amount of emphasis on its advertising which, whether it be a TV, magazine or billboard ads, is extremely clever across the board. Many of Guinness’ advertising campaigns have been lauded by public and critics alike, and remain classics in the world of advertising and branding – the most notable among which includes the 1999’s UK TV spot, Surfer.

Vintage Irish language ad. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Lego

Lego was started by a single carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen who began to produce wooden toys in his workshop in 1932. Within ten years popularity had grown tenfold and with the company growing at a speedy rate, it then began to manufacturer plastic toys. By the time the Lego ‘bricks’ as we know them as today, were produced in 1947 the brand was instilled into the minds of children and adults everywhere. The name has also achieved what only few others brands have and is now considered an adjective describing plastic bricks even though there are several other manufactures producing similar products.

This article was contributed by Print Express; a London based service that specialize in all areas of print branding, including business cards, postcards, letterheads and brochures.