The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-21
PINEAPPLE MEN MAKING
GOOD BY ADVERTISING
How Dealers Who We're Shy of the Local Product
Came to Stock Up---VaIue Created for
Trade-M Mark Name.

Printers Ink.-The Hawaiian pine
apple growers were as little known
few years ago as if they lived on the
FIJI Islands, They marketed their
goods with the same difficulties and the
same liberal concessions and uncertain
ty as do many thousands of other
growers of one thing and another at
the present time.
Possibly if the panic had not occurred
they would still be growing and can
ming pineapples in the same way. But
necessity was again the mother of in
vention. The pineapple growers are al
most ready to believe now that the
situation which the panic forced upon
them was a blessing in disguise.
The Hawaiian pineapple growers have
a beautiful proposition. They grow
smooth cayenne pineapples, which are
acknowledged the best. Then with
sugar made on the same island, and tin
cans also manufactured there, they can
these pineapples at the Psychological
moment when they are most luscious
and ripe. AS a consequence their
product has the very first requisite of
successful advertising proposition
exceptional quality.
But up to the time of the panic no
body knew of these delectables except
portion of the Pacific Coast and a
few scattered patrons throughout the
country. The Hawaiian growers were
themselves disorganized and sold their
cans without labels to such jobbers as
could be persuaded to take them. 1t
naturally happened, of course, that the
jobber put his own brands very promi-
nently on the cans, and it was only by
his gratuitous kindness that the word
Hawaiian got on, if at all. The
public knew it was getting good pine
apple, but that it was Hawaiian pine
apple only few wise ones understood
For general purposes Of economy the
Hawaiian pineapple growers few
years ago got together and organized
They planned to can their product more
economically, and they also planned to
increase their crops from 100000 to
! 100000 cases per year.
But when the panic came on they
| faced peculiar and embarrassing stu
alton. Here were 100000 cases of pine
apple waxing ripe in the fields, while
! even the ordinary dependable market
of 100000 eases was being seriously
threatened The panic froze the mar
ket into icy rightly before their eyes.
Obviously the situation demanded
quick and decisive methods. An outlet
must be found for the extra output, OF
the growers would be seriously EN-
barrassed.
Many meetings were held, and many
plans listened to. Then an advertising
campaign was decided upon, and CO.
operative advertising appropriation
made. The public was eating the So
called fresh pineapple coming from
Cuba, South America, etc. (picked green
and often of inferior grade), and canned
goods from the Bahamas and Singa.
pore, somewhat inferior, while the Ha-
waiian growers had the choicest pine
| apple to offer, packed ripe, and canned
with the purest sugar The real flavor
of the pineapple was hardly known ex-
cept to those more wealthy who could
pay high prices for choice pineapple
Why not tell the public of the ex-
quisitely favored pineapple possible to
buy in cans at the panic price or less
than the inferior ''fresh'' fruitq