by Fred Phillips | Aug 23, 2019 | Share Your History
It is easy for manufacturers and retailers to know how much product moves out of their doors. It is harder, but very necessary, for businesses to know what kinds of people buy what kinds of goods, and with what frequency, with what degree of brand loyalty and whether...
by Gary Hoover | May 25, 2019 | Articles
Donate today and become a founding member of the American Business History Center. At the American Business History Center, we are always looking for ways to connect the present to the past. And hopefully learn some lessons along the way. May is a critical month...
by Gary Hoover | Sep 28, 2018 | Articles, Consumer Products
This article first appeared on February 12, 2018 in The Archbridge Institute’s ‘American Originals’ series. Today, the Estée Lauder Companies have become among the most important cosmetics companies in the world—against huge odds and well-established...
by Gary Hoover | Sep 28, 2018 | Articles, Consumer Products
This article first appeared on October 31, 2017 in The Archbridge Institute’s ‘American Originals’ series. Her Westchester County neighborhood was the home of Vanderbilts, Morgans, and Astors. Jay Gould and John D. Rockefeller had assembled estates...
by Gary Hoover | Sep 27, 2018 | Consumer Products, Data
An interesting list of cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies in 1956, with sales and profit data. Source: Various Financial Reference Books Largest US Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Companies 1956 (XLSX)
by Gary Hoover | Sep 27, 2018 | Consumer Products, Data
Here is an interesting list of the most-recognized brand names in America in 1923. Source: The Leadership of Advertised Brands, by Hotchkiss and Franken, 1923 Most Powerful Brands in US 1923 (XLSX)
by Gary Hoover | Sep 27, 2018 | Consumer Products, Data
This spreadsheet lists the largest publicly-held US food manufacturers in 1954, and includes tabulations by industry segment (meatpacking, bakeries, canners, etc.). Source: 1955 Fortune Magazine with list of the 500 largest US publicly-held companies in 1954 Largest...
by Gary Hoover | Sep 27, 2018 | Consumer Products, Data
Here are two interesting lists, on headache remedies and beer, in the mid-1960s. Source: Television Advertising Representatives Brand Comparisons 1965 Top Selling Headache Remedy Brands in Selected US Cities 1965 (XLSX) Top Selling Beer Brands in Selected US Cities...
by Gary Hoover | Sep 27, 2018 | Consumer Products, Data
Here are two spreadsheets, listing extensive data on the largest US publicly-held makers of “non-durable consumer products” – food, beverage, soap, etc. – in 1954 and 2016. Source: Fortune Magazine annual lists of the 500 largest US companies (excluding privately-held...
