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.