ABU Advertizing Around the World.

Links to a new section of advertizing pages (comprising USA, Australia, Europe) Please advise if you have access to ads from other locations.

Although  A.B.Urfabriken began as a watch making firm in Sweden so long ago, the build quality of  its fishing equipment saw it sold right around the world!

 I have a-massed a large number of advertizements linked elsewhere on this site but my favourites are the ABU Garcia USA  advertizements (see above) which are so interesting , so attractive, even a non fisherman would stop to read the details and be encourages to purchase based on the details provided.  

Initially in the 40's ,  it was local sales that were the main concern for the Swedish ABU company,  but avid fishermen around the globe, soon realized the quality of its products.

ABU management travelled overseas to promote its wares in  the USA initially (to Garcia and eventually Zebco) , and soon began advertizing  in USA, Europe, as well as Australia (even before they had stitched up a distributor here). If anyone knows of African and South American marketing regimes , please advise me.

ABU management not only sold its wares but established networks/relationships with 3rd party companies like Heddon, Burke, Pfleuger, Zangi etc who were soon in commercial relationship with ABU.

It is amazing that their quality equipment was sufficiently well thought of and bought behind the Iron Curtain counties as well as Scandinavian and English speaking countries. .

There are a multitude of reasons why this company was so successful, but I think high visibility in the market-place must surely be attributed to its English language translation of the Catalogs containing so much more than mere fishing equipment. Along with  the English versions, the catalogs appeared in a dozen or more languages and more detail is available here. Even an Austrian Fishoing tackle company called Kossler produced it own catlogs, largely devoted to ABU.

ABU mainly were advertized in the print media, of monthly, yearly fishing magazines for many decades but eventually they hit a critical mass whereupon fans/collectors (like myself) use new age media to promote the glories of ABU. Even after (the original Borgstrom family ownership) the  huge number of company management transitions culminating in the present  Pure Fishing conglomerate ownership, we see Television advertizements, company websites, DVD production. I am unsure if radio was ever utilized to promote the product.

Please advise me if you have any further knowledge on this matter to share.