HAVANA, Cuba. – Older Cubans still remember with pleasure those radio and TV commercials from yesterday that reported on the usefulness and quality of products. Some of the people who advertised the products eventually became renowned artists.
Agencies such as Advertising Siboney, among others, prepared scripts with phrases, jingles* and images, with the aim of encouraging, in an attractive way, the purchase of articles and products.
Detergent and soap companies had the first promotional spot. Announcers hired by these commercial firms, such as Bellita Borges, Asunción del Peso, Yolanda Pujol, Dinorah del Real and the unforgettable Consuelito Vidal, were in charge of the presentations.
The leading company, Crusellas, representative of the American firm Colgate Peet Palmolive, used the slogan for its detergent: “Clean, white, fragrant clothes, only with FAB, super-soaking.”
They also advertised the white or yellow laundry soap, Candado, and the Palmolive bath soap, this one presented with the jingle “Palmolive, Palmolive, the beautifying soap, now brings new perfumes, each Palmolive perfume is a beauty.”
The other featured product was Colgate toothpaste, the most famous in the world.
Its main rival, Sabatés SA, of the American consortium Procter and Gamble, had its detergent with the slogan: “ACE, it does everything.” Its main announcer was the versatile entertainer German Pinelliin a television program whose star part was “El palo ensebado”, where you had to climb a smooth, greased piece of wood to lower the flag with the name ACE, placed at the top. The driver and the audience in the studio chanted the word “come up” and the name of the contestant to stimulate him. Whoever achieved the feat received fabulous gifts.
There were also Camay bath soaps and Oso washing soaps.
Gravi, a smaller firm, had the homonymous toothpaste within its production. A short song announced it: “Gravi paste, with its rich flavor, prevents cavities and cleans better.” Gravi’s other important product was Rina soap, whose promotion, to give an idea of its performance, was: “Rina, Rina is really tough.” Both presentations were given by Consuelito Vidal.
The Nela dairy firm, seller of condensed milk and cream cheese, had the jingle: “Condensed milk Nela always, always always pure, pure, so tasty, so tasty, I love Nela; “Nela, do you like it?” He jingle of powder for smoothies and ice creams “Nelado” said: “Now with Nelado you can prepare smoothies, frozen and ice cream. How delicious Nelado is and how easy, easy to prepare.”
Nela’s main competitors were Guarina ice cream and Guarina Hot Pack cream cheese, and Hatuey ice cream, which also sold La Lechera condensed milk and natural cow’s milk. They all had their respective little songs.
The most popular of the beers It was Hatuey (nothing to do with the ice cream of the same name). I had like jingle promotional: “The great beer of Cuba, give me Hatuey beer.” The announcer Manolo Ortega was its exclusive presenter, accompanied by the model and actress Odalys Fuentes.
There were also, and were widely consumed, Cristal beer, “clear, light, tasty,” and Polar, with a white bear on the label.
There were highly sought-after rums, such as the famous Bacardi, Methuselah, which was promoted with the phrase “Today happy, tomorrow good”; and Pinilla rum, with the phrase “Sabrosón”.
Among the most popular cognacs were Tres Cepas, Terry Malla Dorada and Fundador, with the motto “For Domecq quality.”
The wide range of soft drinks had Coca Cola as number one, with greater world fame. His advertisement was simple: “Drink Coca Cola, the break that refreshes.”
Pepsi Cola was in high demand. There was also Ironbeer, “The soft drink of those who know how to drink”, and others such as Jupiña, Cawy, Naranja Canada Dry and Royal Crown Cola.
Listing the large amount of merchandise, businesses, industries and companies advertised in this short space is impossible.
There were ads for stores like El Encanto, Fin de Siglo, Los Precios Fijos, Ultra, and La Época. Restaurants and bars such as El Floridita, La Bodeguita del medio, 1830, Sloppy Joe, and El Castillo de Jagua.
We can add to this list, cafes, cinemas, theaters and countless other businesses that also advertised, and hundreds of small businesses, with reduced disclosure due to lack of budget.
The book can give us an idea of the magnitude that the commercial promotion reached. Companies in Cuba. 1958, by Guillermo Jiménez Soler, published by Editorial de Ciencias Sociales in 2004, which registers 1,384 large companies and about 7,000 smaller ones. And they all had their ads.
After 1959, Fidel Castro’s regime ended advertising by nationalizing all private companies. Commercial promotion was replaced by unbearable and overwhelming indoctrinating political propaganda.
* jingles: Piece of music composed to accompany advertising announcements and characterized by being short and easy to remember.
