PART II
The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the end of the harsh economic circumstances and uncertainty that had characterized the early post-war period. Effective economic planning and a successful land reform program brought Taiwan its first taste of prosperity. New industries appeared, cities began to take on a modern look, and incomes reached levels that left room in monthly budgets for more of the small luxuries of life. Gone were the days when Le Yuan, Hsin Le Yuan, or Hsiang Chiao cigarettes would suffice. After years of austerity, the average smoker was eager for some thing better.
The Monopoly Bureau responded to these changes in the economy and consumer preference in a manner which would do credit to an aggressive, market-oriented American tobacco company. It began to expand the total number of brands available and attempted to upgrade the quality of its pack design. At the same time, special emphasis was placed on strengthening medium-priced offerings in order to satisfy a growing urban middle class which was comparatively affluent and sophisticated.
The proliferation of brands was especially marked in the lower price range. Here, at the bottom of the market, new cigarettes appeared and disappeared with amazing speed, often leaving bewildered smokers with four or five brands from which to choose. Specifically rural motifs were replaced, and broadly traditional and Western themes became the order of the day.
The Chi Lin (Unicorn)* pack in illustration 1, which was intended to replace Hsiang Chiao among the native mountain people, provides an excellent example of the attempted move away from rural motifs. The mythical Chi Lin, symbolizing longevity and wisdom, has enjoyed a prominent place in traditional Chinese culture since antiquity. Lacking a specific agrarian orientation, its appearance on this pack may have been intended to help reinforce the aboriginal population's knowledge of the dominant culture and to foster social integration. If this was in fact the case, the choice of the Chi Lin would seem to have been an excellent one in light of the animistic beliefs of most of the native tribes on the island.
Unfortunately, despite this suitability of design, Chi Lin was unable to compete with the still immensely popular Hsiang Chiao and had to be withdrawn form the market after a short period. Creativity was simply no match for brand loyalty and taste preference. Chi Lin disappeared into the archives of the Monopoly Bureau, and Hsiang Chiao continued to reign supreme until special cigarettes for the mountain people were eliminated some years ago.
Three new low-priced brands that were intended for general island-wide consumption ultimately met the same fate as Chi Lin. The most interesting of these new entrants was Ju Yi (Scepter)* which appears in illustration 2. The ju yi, a kind of traditional ceremonial scepter or blunt sword, provided an outstanding motif for a cigarette pack since the characters ju yi also have the meaning "as you like." This implication of the studied casualness so dear to the hearts of advertising executives everywhere is augmented by the association of the ju yi with longevity. Taken together, these concepts and the picture of the instrument itself constitute a clever and appealing pack theme which illustrates the wealth of allusion that exists in the Chinese language.
Chi Hsiang (Auspicious)* in illustration 3 is also anchored firmly in the Chinese cultural heritage. In this case, the designer has used traditional symbols to identify his pack with the pragmatic and universal desire for good fortune. Both the appearance of the archaic chia ku wen calligraphy and the premodern cash serve to create a bond with the past. Additionally, the name "Auspicious" and the intrinsic association of old coins with prosperity must have been intended to help persuade potential consumers that they could improve their lot in life by purchasing these cigarettes.
A third brand, Kang Le (Health and Happiness)* in illustration 4, was one of the few new low-priced brands from this period that did not feature a traditional message. Instead, the designer of the pack sought to develop a more Western image. Comparatively simple and understated, Kang Le reflected something of the minimalism that was influential in cigarette pack art in the United States at the time. No animals, human forms, or ornate designs are in evidence on this pack; the sales pitch depended primarily upon the medically questionable claim of Kang Le, a shortened form of the phrase Chien Kang Kuai Le, meaning health and happiness.
As in the case of Ju Yi, however, there was more to the story. The characters Kang and Le, when taken together, are also used to refer to the concept of wholesome recreation. Although Kang Le failed to gain any significant market share, this double meaning made it an extremely enticing brand from a psychological standpoint, a'I1d one which seemed suited to an era of growing prosperity and leisure.
It is difficult to account fully for the failures of Ju Yi, Chi Hsiang, and Kang Le. The market for low-priced cigarettes was, of course, nearly stagnant. Consumers of such cigarettes were primarily rural, and this segment of the population was slowly shrinking as the Republic of China on Taiwan industrialized, leaving only limited room for new products. The extreme conservatism of rural smokers may also have been a factor. The role of this conservatism is obvious in the failure of the Monopoly Bureau's attempts to change the design of the Le Yuan and Hsin Le Yuan packs.
Illustration 5-8
In the case of Le Yuan, the Bureau turned to a foreign designer to refurbish the simple red, white, and blue pack. The result, which can be seen in illustration 5, was a pleasing design that in many respects echoed the concepts and trends found on the Kang Le pack. It did not, unfortunately, win acceptance in the marketplace. Retailers and consumers alike criticized the design, and sales were so low that the original pack had to be reinstated. No further changes were attempted, and the original Le Yuan design lingered on until the brand was discontinued in the mid-1960's.
Later, there was also an attempt to make the Hsin Le Yuan pack a bit less rustic. A foreign designer was selected once again, and as in the case of the Le Yuan pack revision, the result was a marketing disaster. The peculiar wood-grain pack design in illustration 6 proved exceedingly unpopular and almost totally unsaleable. Although the tobacco was identical with that in the original, large quantities of these newly designed packs were returned to the Monopoly Bureau, where they were finally burned. The customer wanted the traditional red, yellow, and white motif on his pack of Hsin Le Yuan, and his wishes had to be respected. Today the original pack survives undisturbed at the bottom of the Taiwan cigarette market with few changes save for the maxims on the side panels.
During these years, the Monopoly Bureau tried to use the enduring popularity of this first Hsin Le Yuan pack design to promote public acceptance of two new products. The pleasing green pack in illustration 7 was the most successful of these efforts from an artistic standpoint. Retaining the traditional motif in its entirety, this pack contained a long version of the existing Hsin Le Yuan cigarette. Most consumers, alas, found the regular New Paradise sufficient for their smoking needs, and the longs had to be discontinued after a short period. For anyone acquainted with the potency of Hsin Le Yuan, such an out come can hardly be considered surprising. Even two or three puffs of this low-priced favorite provide more than enough "smoking pleasure" for those used to the milder domestic and foreign brands.
The second new product which made use of the Hsin Le Yuan motif appears in illustration 8. The pack, on which the traditional design is also retained basically intact, represents an early and unsuccessful attempt to develop a low-priced filter brand. In order to make the Hsin Le Yuan motif seem a bit more up-to-date and to help differentiate between this new entry and the regular version, a modern structure has been erected on the far side of the river, and the boat has been allowed to drift out of sight.
One low-priced filter brand, Chin Ma (Golden Horse), did receive a favorable verdict from the island's smokers during these years of expansion. Priced slightly higher than Hsin Le Yuan filters and the other brands at the bottom end of the market, Chin Ma possessed considerable brand name appeal. The characters chin and ma, together, constitute an abbreviated way of referring to Chin Men (Kinmen) and Ma Tsu (Matsu), two islands just off the coast of Fuchien Province that serve as Taiwan's first line of defense against Communist attack and as symbols of the determination of free Chinese never to abandon their compatriots on the mainland. Since these two characters also have the meaning "golden horse," they provide the basis for both an attractive design motif and an effective patriotic reminder.
Illustration 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11, and 12
Oddly enough, however, the earliest Chin Ma packs which appear in illustrations 9A and B (front and back panels) and l0A and B (front and back panels) did not capitalize on this felicitous convergence of message and design potential. Instead, they feature a motif that looks as if it had been lifted from a cheap Western cigar box. Aside from the Chinese characters for the name, there is almost nothing on the packs that bears a relationship to either Chin Men and Ma Tsu or to a golden horse. At most, it can be said that the design has a vague martial flavor which might in some remote way relate to the military importance of the islands in question.
The successor to these first packs, which is pictured in illustration 11 in one of its variations, more than compensates for any previous conceptual and creative shortcomings. The striking golden horse seems to have just leapt out of a classical Chinese painting, while the lively red and white background and lettering appear at once traditional and modern. In sum, whatever its success in enhancing patriotism and stressing the importance of Chin Men and Ma Tsu, this pack, which is still on sale today, has a definite visual appeal and evokes strong cultural associations.
In the rapidly expanding market for medium-priced cigarettes, the Monopoly Bureau sought to create designs that could bridge the gap between the rusticity found at the bottom of the market and the artistic and conceptual sophistication of high-priced domestic and foreign brands. It wanted motifs that would cause smokers in the growing urban middle class to feel more cosmopolitan without completely losing touch with the traditional cultural symbols that still played such an important part in their lives.
Illustration 13-16
Alterations in the color and design of the existing dark green Shuang Hsi provide an excellent example of the desire for such changes. After failing to convince the public to accept the red version of the original Shuang Hsi design in illustration 12, the Monopoly Bureau introduced a pack that seemed more in keeping with the times. The design on the attractive pack in illustration 13 retained the basic Shuang Hsi concept and motif, but it was not in any sense a classical Chinese design. The doves are fundamentally Western in style and execution, and the uncluttered appearance of the pack echoes trends in Western commercial design of the time.
Despite its elegance and timeliness, the updated Shuang Hsi pack never became popular. Even though the Republic of China's increasingly prosperous population had an affinity for modern. Western-oriented commercial design, inherent popular resistance to changes in existing products was strong. Most smokers were ready to accept a new brand with innovative pack art, but they expected an old favorite like Shuang Hsi to maintain its traditional identity. Thus, this creative contribution to Taiwan pack design was dropped after a short time, and the original dark green pack was restored to its accustomed position in the sales rack, where it remained until the brand was discontinued in the late 1970's.
The premier new middle-priced cigarette during these years of change and development was Chang Shou (Long Life)**, which first appeared on the market in 1959. Thanks to a blend of tobaccos that was suited to Chinese tastes and a concept and motif that struck exactly the right balance between the traditional and modern, this filter brand quickly achieved a dominant position in the market.
The pack, varying subtly in design and color over the years, is characterized by a logo with the characters for "long life," chang and shou, in red inside a gold circle composed of repetitions of the shou character. Early versions, such as the one in illustration 14, had only the basic logo. Later, a picture of the God of Longevity was added. As is typically the case, he is pictured together with a peach and a crane, both symbols of long life. This revised design, which appears in illustration 15, quickly became an all- time favorite among smokers and gained a great deal of recognition and popularity in society at large. In fact, this cigarette pack variant of the God of Longevity motif has been used on labels for commercial products ranging from toothpicks to glassware.
All subsequent efforts to tamper with the Chang Shou pack have failed. Plans some years ago to alter the design in order to eliminate one of the steps involved in printing had to be abandoned owing to public opposition. Even an attempt to change the color of the cigarette's filter resulted in a public uproar. The brand was extremely popular and its image simply too well-established to permit alterations of any kind.
Shuang Hsi's long-time following and the enormous success of Chang Shou left few opportunities for the establishment of other middle-priced brands, a circumstance reflected by the fates of Hsing Fu, Chu Kuang and Yu Shan, Hsing Fu (Well-Being)*, which appears in illustration 16, was introduced in 1962. The simple red and white pack shows the influence of popular Western brands of the 1960's and indicates that the Monopoly Bureau was paying closer attention to trends in foreign cigarette packaging design. At the same time, the elegant twin fu (signifying wealth and good fortune) provided a distinctive Chinese touch and a suitably auspicious message for the smoker. What was absent was anything in the product or package design which would lend the distinctiveness necessary to compete with Shuang Hsi and Chang Shou. As a result of continual lackluster sales, Hsing Fu was removed from the market in 1971.
Illustration 17-20
Chu Kuang (The Glory of Chu)* in illustration 17 was a filter cigarette priced midway between Chin Ma and Chang Shou. It first appeared on the market in 1966. As in the case of Chin Ma, the pack featured a felicitous combination of patriotism and effective design. The name Chu Kuang refers to events surrounding a restoration of legitimate authority in the ancient Chinese state of Chu, located in present day Shantung Province. The use of this theme in a cigarette name was intended to remind residents of Taiwan of their duty to help recover mainland China and restore the authority of the Republic of China there.
The pack design reflects these historical allusions. Both the classical calligraphy and the simple background provide feelings of antiquity and historical pageantry. More importantly, however, the intricate gold and white design at the top and bottom of the pack bear a specific, if historically twice-removed, relationship to events in Chu. The designer of the pack, Mr. Shih Chung-hsin of the Monopoly Bureau, adapted this design from one on the headgear of a statue of hero Tien Tan found at the Central Motion Picture Studio. Tien, an actual historical personage, was involved in the affairs of Chu and is still remembered for helping to save that state from its enemies.
The Chu Kuang pack has been most successful. In fact, in the 19 years since the cigarette first appeared on the market, there have been no significant changes in the design, and the pack has come to be considered something of a classic despite less than robust sales.
Yu Shan (Jade Mountain)* was the only cigarette aside from Shuang Hsi and Chang Shou that was able to claim any substantial share of the market for middle-priced cigarettes. This brand, whose success rested on the fact that it was mentholated, was first produced in 1961. Named after Mount Yu, the highest peak in Taiwan, it is still on the market today. This association is undoubtedly responsible for the pleasing white-over-green pack in illustration 18 that suggests a verdant, snow-capped mountain. Such imagery is further heightened by the snowflake-like logo and the elegant calligraphy. To a greater degree than its American counterparts, such as Salem and Newport, the Yu Shan pack succeeded in capturing the feeling of cool mountain freshness that is so often associated with the taste of menthol.
Change at the top of the market proceeded at a relatively slow pace. Pao Tao continued to enjoy great popularity. Smokers appear to have been satisfied with both the quality of the cigarette and with its packaging, and there was consequently little call for any revision of the original pack art.
Two new high-priced brands did, however, put in appearances during the 1960's. The designs employed and the relative degrees of acceptance they met tend to lend support to the idea that smokers of premium domestic cigarettes were seeking an internationally cosmopolitan image.
Tsung Tung (President)** first went on the market in 1961. The pack design was a subdued blend of Chinese and Western influence. Pictured in illustration 19 in one of its variations, the pack offered a stately combination of red, yellow, and gold. Although the design surrounding the words is of Chinese origin, it is restrained and does not dominate the pack. The red of the lettering predominates, while the yellow lines provide understated and dignified background.
All in all, Tsung Tung had the relatively clean look typical of Western packs of the period and proved to be highly adaptable for use as a commemorative pack—produced frequently in the 1960's in honor of visiting foreign dignitaries. Normally, the basic Tsung Tung motif was left intact, with the occasion noted and color reproductions of the ROC and relevant foreign flags added. Even though commemorative packs have fallen out of favor in recent years, Tsung Tung is still a popular brand and features essentially the same pack design that was used in 1961.
Chin Ting (Golden Tripod)* in illustration 20 was less successful and long-lasting. This brand first appeared on the market in 1965. It featured a representation of a ting, a kind of ancient" Chinese bronze vessel used by the nobility for ceremonial purposes. Designed by a foreign artist then employed by the Monopoly Bureau, this pack design was undoubtedly intended to evoke images of timeless exclusivity, sophistication, and high quality. It was not, unfortunately, warmly received by the public and disappeared in 1968. The reasons for its failure are not entirely clear, but it seems probable that a historical Chinese motif was not particularly competitive in a section of the market dominated by culturally neutral domestic brands and foreign imports. — (Editor's Note— This is the second in a three-part survey by Mr. Meyer.)