Down Under

• According to the Vegemite website, around 80% of Australian households have a jar in the cupboard.
• Indeed, the now classic spread may have failed into obscurity as “Parwill” if not for a very clever advertising campaign in the second world war.

A product of war

• When the first world war began in 1914, Australians were big fans of Marmite, the British yeast extract spread.
• As the Germans began sinking ships full of British supplies to Australia, Marmite disappeared from the shelves.
• Australians were wary of Vegemite when it first appeared on grocery shelves, perhaps due to brand loyalty to Marmite.
• To try and combat this, Walker renamed Vegemite “Parwill” in 1928 as a play on Marmite: “if Ma might, Pa will”.

A nutritious food replacement

• Thompson began offering free samples of Vegemite with purchases of other Kraft-Walker products, including the popular Kraft cheese.
• Entrants would write the final line of a limerick to enter into the draw to win a brand new car.
• It would take another world war, however, before Vegemite became part of Australian national identity.
• With other foodstuffs hard to come by, Vegemite was marketed as a nutritious replacement for many foods.
• With its long shelf life and high levels of B-vitamins, the Department of Supply also saw the advantages of Vegemite.

Happy little Vegemites

• This emphasis on Vegemite as part of a healthy diet for growing children would remain the key advertising focus of the next 60 years.
• The ear-catching jingle was composed in the early 1950s, first for radio and then later used in the 1959 television ad.
• Read more:
  Curious Kids: why do some people find some foods yummy but others find the same foods yucky?