Initially, at least, this is going to be a fairly spare offering, however, I thought I really ought to create a separate page for Berwick's, not least in order to solicit your help in filling out the page! I will, of course, give full attribution, as usual. So, if you do have any information on Berwick's, I'd love to hear from you… |
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…anyway, back to the script! |
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In common with many startup companies, even today, C.B. Plimpton used the services of a marketing company with significant experience of the target market. In the case of Plimpton Engineering, BAYKO's manufacturer, they chose : - |
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If you would like to find out more of the results of Berwick's influence, it's best seen in the earliest [pre-1938] BAYKO adverts, so I suggest you follow the link [below] to the main Advertising Navigation page and sample some of the links there… |
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The two adverts shown here [right above, and left] are examples of Berwick's Toy Company Limited marketing work [it's surprising how cavalier they were with the way they presented themselves in print, no suggestion of consistent brand image management]. Fair play though, although they quickly dropped to a half page, the impact is still pretty good. |
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Here comes Fred! |
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The link between Berwick's and Plimpton came under strain in 1938 when Fred Rogerson, of Berwick's, persuaded C.B. Plimpton to bring the Sales / Marketing functions in house - with him leading it - which is exactly what happened. |
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I doubt Berwick's were pleased at the loss of either their senior man, or the the Plimpton account, but they were big enough to survive the loss. |
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This move presumably significantly impacted the relaunch of BAYKO in its 'New Series' form in May, 1939. However, there is a 'continuum' in the [slightly] earlier launch of the 20s series of BAYKO sets, with which, wearing his Berwick's hat, Fred Rogerson would certainly have been involved in. |
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O.K., let's just back pedal a couple of years. In their second year of advertising BAYKO, Berwick's continued with a short series of adverts in which they incorporated it with other products they represented as you can see : - |
1936 |
1937 |
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November |
December |
November |
December |
The above adverts were both full pages. |
The above adverts were both double full pages. |
The contrast between the 1936 images [left, above] and those of the following year, 1937 [right, above] is interesting - is it possible that they thought BAYKO was popular enough to draw more young eyes into the advert? Whatever the rationale Plimpton were presumably happy with this association - “Two entirely different toys, but each supreme in its own class” - as the script read in November, 1936. |
If you click on any of the four images [above] you will launch a larger, more legible version. |
We're now - at least until I can ferret out the truth - in speculative territory, but, at around the same time, or a little later, there was a toy manufacturing operation, also called Berwick Toys, in Wallasey [where C.B. Plimpton lived] on the Wirral peninsular, just across the Mersey from Liverpool. |
This operation produced a wide variety toys, from board games to merchandise linked to T.V. series, and many more in between. |
I've struggled to confirm or deny any links between the operations, in deed the only Companies House references that I can find are three incompletely documented attempts to wind up the company [but which?], for financial reasons, in 1986, 1987 and 1989. |
If you can help with this conundrum, or have any other information on Berwick's, then I'd love to hear from you… |
Click on any of the links below for related information.
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