The Museum of Brands - well worth a visit

I had no idea that the Museum of Branding, Advertising and Packaging existed until I saw Robert Opie, its founder and director, being interviewed on BBC Breakfast last month about Kraft’s takeover of Cadbury’s. But having found that it is in Notting Hill in London, I visited with a group of AS level Business Studies students on Friday and we had a very good afternoon there.

It is an extraordinary collection of over 12,000 items from iconic brands as well as many that have disappeared. The “brands and packs, posters and adverts, fads and fashions, toys and games” are arranged in a ‘time tunnel’ from Victorian times to the present, with emphasis given to how major national events from Victoria’s Golden Jubilee onwards have been used for branding and advertising. There are also sections focussing on how individual brands have evolved over time, and on packaging, with an excellent display given to the new emphasis on sustainable packaging and how manufacturers, retailers and designers are working together to adopt a more sustainable approach. Until the end of March there is also an evocative special exhibition of the history of Guinness advertising.

I do recommend this if you can get to London, as a back-up to teaching marketing and the 4 P’s. It offers great practice of application of textbook theory, and it is worth taking a worksheet to ensure that students don’t miss some of those points of theory - there is so much to enjoy looking at and to be distracted by! The museum staff will book a time for your visit and can send a selection of worksheets that you can adapt, and you need between an hour and an hour and a half to get round. They are open every day except Mondays, there is a small cafe, there is disabled access, and the walk from Notting Hill Gate underground station along Portobello Road is entertaining as well! The link to the website is here, and the phone number is 020 7908 0880.