In honor of King George VI’s 1939 visit to the country, Canadian distiller Joseph E. Seagram & Sons created Crown Royal brand whisky. Capitalizing on the king’s stopover, Seagram’s marketed its Canadian whiskey as a luxury gift worthy of royalty. The liquor’s luxurious packaging (especially its branded purple bag), reinforced the image of Crown Royal as a product that would be well received as a gift.
While successful, marketing the Crown Royal brand as an exclusive gift apparently deterred its buyers from also being its consumers. Ads like these encouraged buyers to also treat themselves to a few moments of opulant living.
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