An old ad that I found in the files…

Posted by richard in Founder's Blog

A couple days ago I promised I’d start scanning in and posting some of the ads that I’ve found in the files from when grandad and Uncle Piccilo were running the business.  Here’s one that must have run sometime in the late 1950s, because that’s when they were in Minnetonka and using the given PO box.  All I have is a tear sheet, but I suspect this ad ran in the back third of Popular Mechanics.

I suspect this ad was created by either Piccillo or perhaps by Baylord & Associates, which was the New York advertising firm that they worked with for most of the 1950s and early 1960s. Eventually they moved over to Grant & Grant, a different firm in New York, and sales took off around 1964.

Note that the price for a month supply was $3, which at the time included shipping.  Based on the customer records I’ve seen, I suspect that they were selling about 1500 or so bottles a month, although about 2/3 of those were to “repeat” customers.

Richard was also trying to get certifications from various medical societies around this time; maybe next I’ll post the ad I found showing a doctor who recommended that most of his male patients take these.