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by Kylie Flavell

on Apr 15

In the spotlight: Aeroplane Jelly

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A History of Aeroplane Jelly

1927 – Aeroplane Jelly launches in Sydney
1930 – The Aeroplane Jelly song is played for the first time on radio station 2KY
1936 – The first Aeroplane Jelly logo makes its first appearance
1938 – The company’s first advertising agent, Reg Hepworth, is hired; Joy King is discovered in a talent quest to sing the ‘I like Aeroplane Jelly’ jingle
1940 – ‘Bertie the Aeroplane’ was introduced in cinema advertising.
1953 – Australia’s first low calorie jelly for diabetics is launched by Aeroplane Jelly
1956 – ‘Girl on swing’ and ‘Bertie’ ads aired on TV
1966 – The jingle is recorded in Greek, Italian, Russian and Yugoslav
1977 – Aeroplane Jelly turns 50; the product is first sold in Victoria
1979 – The product is first sold in Queensland
1980 – The product is sold in all other Australian states
1987 – The black and white ads are revived with ‘paintbox’ technique
2000 – Bertie: The Great Jellyland Air Race is released as the first Bertie Adventure Book and included as an on-pack promotion; the company celebrates 60 years of association with the Bertie character and instigates the Memorabilia Hunt of old packaging, advertisements and treasures of the brand; Australians are asked to vote for a new flavour
2001 – Aeroplane Jelly produces Thomas & Friends Jellies
2002 – A singing contest is run in national primary schools for a new version of the jingle to be incorporated with the Joy King recording for a radio ad
2006 – Ready to Eat Jelly and Crazy Crystals are introduced
2007 – Aeroplane Jelly turns 80

His heart is thudding. The air is viscous, reeking of sweat and the Vietnamese jungle. He jogs through the mud, eyes darting back and forth through the shadowy green. As his troop nears the base there’s only one thing that can get him across to safety, only one line that will officially identify him as an Australian. Clutching his gun, he clears his throat and whistles… “I like Aeroplane Jelly, Aeroplane Jelly for meeeeeee!”

Now that’s what I call pervasive branding.

As well as reportedly being used as an unofficial password in the Vietnam War, the jaunty Aeroplane Jelly jingle has seeped its sugary tune into the subconscious of this country’s history, and is said to be as recognisable as the Australian anthem.

This year, Aeroplane Jelly celebrates its 80-year anniversary – an enviable feat for any company, made even more commendable by the fact that the product’s original image and branding has remained successful for the entirety of its history. Few could have predicted that a product which is essentially wobbly, coloured gloop, could be a marketing triumph, with an unassailable image appealing as much today as it did in the 1920s. Many attribute this success to creator, Bert Appleroth.

“The original owner of Aeroplane Jelly strongly believed in the power of advertising and it has played a key role in establishing Aeroplane Jelly as one of Australia’s iconic brands,” says Stuart Redman, national marketing manager of McCormick Foods Australia. Appleroth’s core belief was the importance of diversifying his advertising, from radio to television to extreme publicity stunts like dropping jelly from aeroplanes across Sydney’s beaches.

The founder of this household name began as a humble Sydney tram conductor, stirring up jelly crystals in his home bathtub to sell on his tram route. Overwhelmed by the popularity of his jelly crystals, he quit his job as tram conductor, rented out a shed in Paddington and began a life devoted to jelly. Appleroth was a keen aviation fan, and in 1927, when aeroplanes epitomised all that was modern and exciting, he launched his little jelly business under the name Aeroplane Jelly. The success that transpired was perhaps not indicative of Australia’s love for jelly so much as the power of an effective advertising campaign.

Back in 1930, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, the very first recording of the Aeroplane Jelly song crackled out from radios throughout Sydney, broadcast by radio station 2KY. This original jingle was written by Appleroth’s business partner (and later managing director of Aeroplane Jelly), Albert Francis Lenertz, along with a musical pianist. A little ahead of his time, Appleroth was one of the very first to establish saturation campaigns on radio with his jingle and sponsored ads. That same Sydney radio station, 2KY, ran an Aeroplane Jelly ad every single week for 30 years. In fact, during the 1940s, the jingle was aired on Sydney radio stations one hundred times a day. Despite jelly being considered a summer product, the company would negotiate volume-based discounts on its advertising spend on account of a signed 12-month contract.

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