Mark Spedding reports on a recent addition to the tourist attractions of London – The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising.
Mark Spedding 
20 Oct, 2009
A One Stop Shop for Familiar Brands
For anyone working in marketing or market research, a visit to the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising is a must. This fascinating addition to London’s tourist attractions, located in a quiet mews just a short distance from the bustle of Portobello Road in Notting Hill, has over 12, 000 original items on display, ranging from Victorian times to the present. It thus provides a detailed history of British consumer brands and associated social history in a way that means you can’t help but learn even while having a lot of fun.
The Museum has a “time tunnel” layout, so you walk through from the 1850s
to the present day, emerging into the 21st century to themed displays such
as the evolution of packaging, the ways in which brands like Coca-Cola change
in ways so subtle they appear to be timeless, and the impact of environmental
issues on packaging. Numerous familiar domestic food, drink and cleaning brands
are displayed next to toys, household goods and other items bringing “your”
era to mind with remarkable vividness. A good part of 
the fun is hearing other
visitors saying “Oh look! It’s ----- !” and then guessing their age (in my
case, you can try to work it out from my excitement at seeing the Thunderbirds
toys from the late sixties and the crisp packets from the early seventies).
Your final, inevitable destination is a pleasant café area, where a TV shows
an entertaining mix of ads from the fifties to the eighties and there’s a modest
but interesting selection of souvenirs to buy.
Brands, in whatever sector, help people make sense of the world, and make
decisions easier. The 
Museum makes a similar point, stating explicitly that
domestic brands are “friends” which put consumers at their ease and provide
reassurance and support. Looking at the familiar household names on abundant
display here, it’s clear that many of us have a lot more friends than we realise,
and that they have changed over time, while being recognisably the same, just
as we have.
For further information, including location, hours and admission charges, visit www.museumofbrands.com.
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