It is well known that excessive drinking does not lead to anything good. As a vivid example of this, many periodicals of the late 19th century cited a particular incident from Slobozhanshchina.
In Lyptsi, in the Kharkiv District, at the beginning of Lent (1894), a rumor spread that several monks from Mount Athos were traveling through the neighboring villages. The residents eagerly awaited their arrival so they could make a contribution, although the more educated among them were skeptical about the authenticity of their claims. The monks arrived; they turned out to be ragged figures with haggard faces, capable of inspiring anything but respect… Nevertheless, donations poured in, and women flocked in droves to receive a blessing. One of the fake monks showed a cross branded on his hand; the men reverently crossed themselves and put whatever they could into that hand. Five days passed this way, after which the “monks” couldn’t hold back any longer and started drinking heavily. A report was drawn up, and the case was referred to the district chief, who sentenced them to prison.
In that same year, 1894, N. Plisky’s book *Advertising: Its Significance, Origins, and History* was published. It was one of the very first guides to advertising in the empire at that time, including a historical overview and a list of examples of advertising from that era, most of which were rather curious in nature. Many of the examples cited by the author are truly unique in their ingenuity and originality. This study not only lists the marketing tricks of European and American merchants but also provides examples of successful or amusing local advertisements. The author of this seminal work has not overlooked our hometown either. It is entirely possible that the situation described below caused a massive scandal or was a favorite tactic of the cunning Kharkiv merchant class.
Merchant Advertisements from Kharkiv.
We’ve always had sales at our
special store…
Thousands of ads
sometimes remind us of this.
And indeed: businesspeople
have a real knack
for all kinds of advertising…
The other day, we
came across an unbelievable ad:
It naively claimed that,
due to a fire that had occurred in the store,
the merchant had decided
to hold a very cheap sale of his merchandise…
It would seem that the merchandise
had become cheap because it had been damaged by the fire.
But no! The merchant wants to sell fresh, brand-new
merchandise;
he states at the end that
he has decided to sell his new merchandise—
which he has just received—
at a very low
price because of the fire…
What does the fire have to do with it, pray tell?
And aren’t there plenty of other events and
misfortunes?
Will merchants suddenly start weaving even those
into their advertisements,
just to make it as easy and quick
as possible for our ladies
to empty their husbands’ pockets?
Unfortunately, the book made no mention of successful examples of alcohol advertising in Kharkiv. Instead, the successes of Europeans and Americans were described in detail and cited as a model. Apparently, after reading the book, these strategies were adopted by residents of many cities in the empire at that time and are still used to this day.
For example, the author of the book mentioned a case in which the owner of a New York restaurant came up with a completely new way to attract customers. Everyone who entered the restaurant—even if only to have a glass of beer costing 5 cents—received a card from the waiter inscribed: “From a grateful owner to his beloved guest.” This card entitled its holder to a photographic portrait. Since there was a photo booth in the restaurant’s courtyard equipped with an instant camera, before the astonished patron had time to recover, the photographer would take his portrait and hand over a copy with a polite smile and a bow. This innovation was extremely well-received by the New York public.
Word of this original approach quickly spread throughout the city. Quite a few members of New York’s aristocracy also began frequenting this previously unremarkable restaurant for one purpose only—to have their portrait taken, either alone or in groups, with a glass of beer or vodka in hand.
However, over time, many of them lost interest in the restaurant because one day the owner hung two enormous signs at the door featuring all the portraits he had taken down up to that point. Above the signs was an inscription in large gold letters: “My Beloved Guests.” This advertisement had an absolutely astonishing effect. After all, few had previously suspected that such a third-rate restaurant could boast such distinguished patrons. Needless to say, after this display of portraits, the restaurant’s business improved even further. Although many distinguished guests threatened the cunning restaurant owner with legal action for displaying their portraits without permission, the owner replied that he would gladly pay whatever small fine the judge might impose, and therefore would wait with a light heart for the trial, which would further publicize his establishment.
And in 1888, the owner of a French champagne house came up with an extremely unusual and original way to advertise his products. After ordering a large quantity of boxes of high-quality matches, he began distributing them everywhere completely free of charge through his agents to hotels, restaurants, and pastry shops across Europe and the United States. The matchboxes themselves featured a black bottle of champagne and the brand name. Undoubtedly, all of this cost the owner a fortune, and, in the opinion of most businesspeople, the money was spent recklessly. However, it was precisely thanks to this advertising that the company’s champagne became world-famous and fell into fashion. The advertising costs paid off tenfold, and the manufacturer quickly grew rich. Perhaps that is why the company remains one of the most famous and largest champagne brands to this day.
The only enterprise in the entire Russian Empire bearing the name “Ukrainka” was located in Slobozhanshchina. Its full name was the Ukrainian Beer and Mead Brewery “Ukrainka.” Founded in 1887, the plant was located in the village of the same name in the Tsyrkunivska volost. Its central office (headquarters) was located at 4 Staro-Moskovska Street in the city of Kharkiv. The products of our “Ukrainka” stood out for their exceptional quality and taste not only in Kharkiv but throughout the entire empire.
But on a poster advertising products from the Kalinkinsky Beer and Mead Cooperative (St. Petersburg), a beautiful Ukrainian woman practically beckons you to enjoy this wonderful drink…
However, the advertisements for the products of one of the empire’s largest alcohol producers stood out as the most “aggressive.” The company’s owner had no connection to our city or region, but, being an extremely enterprising man, he invested his money in creating various laudatory odes, songs, and poems that extolled the diverse liqueurs and fruit brandies he produced, cognacs, and vodkas. This poetic advertising literally flooded the press, including ours. I won’t mention the brand name, since it continues to thrive today. But I’d be happy to share some examples from Kharkiv newspapers.
If you’re feeling down
at times And have been betrayed by someone,
If your spirit is restless
And doubt gnaws at your heart…
If you can’t seem to find any comfort
—
To soothe
your soul, drink, brother, ****** cognac
“You suffer from insomnia,” you told me more than once…
At night, you can’t close
your eyes, weary from torment…
All night long you toss and turn in bed,
Staring into the eerie darkness:
To let dreams come to you—
Drink, brother, ******* cognac
You’ve fallen in love. You melt in her
presence, just like ice in a stove,
but the timidity of your heart keeps you from saying,
“Be mine!”
How many times have you wanted to confess,
and… kept silent like a fool!
Want to work up some courage?
Drink up, brother, ******* cognac
Certainly, if we were to compile all these alcohol-inspired poems, we could publish a small collection of poetry. As for which marketing tactics used in our country will find their way into books 100 years from now, we can only guess…
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