Marketing
In 1908, Oxo (alongside Odol mouthwash and Indian Foot Powder[4]) was one of the sponsors of the London Olympic Games (despite claims by Coca-Cola of being the "first" commercial sponsor of the games) and supplied marathon runners with Oxo drinks "to fortify them."[5] During the first half of the 20th century, Oxo was promoted through the issue of recipes, gifts, and sponsorships, before fading into the background as a part of the fabric of English life in the latter parts of the century.
In the 1920s, the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company acquired a wharf on the south bank of the river Thames in London. There they erected a factory, demolishing most of the original building and constructing a tower, with distinctive windows appearing to spell out 'OXO', which became known as the Oxo Tower[6]
In 1958, Oxo commenced their longest running television advertising campaign, "Life with Katie." Katie was played by Mary Holland, and her long-suffering husband by Peter Moynihan. The campaign ran until the early 1970s, including two seasons where the family traveled to the US to film. By this time, the couple were joined by their "son."
As styles and tastes changed, Oxo moved to a more up-to-date format with Dennis Waterman as the sole face of the brand in the mid '70s.
In 1966, Oxo had a sponsored show on the offshore radio station, Wonderful Radio London. The show was presented by Tony Windsor; his assistant was a woman called "Katie." Oxo presented a new recipe in each episode.
Oxo launched another long-running advertising campaign in the UK in 1983, when a second "Oxo Family" debuted on commercial television.[7] The father was played by Michael Redfern, the mother was played by Lynda Bellingham, while the children were played by Blair MacKichan, Colin McCoy and Alison Reynolds. The advertisements typically featured the family sitting down to a meal at which Oxo gravy would be served. The product was not always mentioned by name, occasionally appearing only as a logo in the corner of the screen at the end of the commercial. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the family were seen to grow older, and, when the campaign was retired in 1999, the family moved out of the house.
Oxo is mentioned in XTC’s “The Everyday Story of Smalltown” from their 1984 album The Big Express.
On 11 November 2014, it was announced that a 1984 Oxo advert starring Lynda Bellingham would be screened on Christmas Day as a tribute to the actress, who had died of colon cancer the previous month.[8] It was aired during a commercial break of Coronation Street.
