What was advertised in a revolutionary American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“SPRUCE BEER made in Chesnut-street … Hare’s American best bottled PORTER.”
Was advertising in early American newspapers effective? Robert Appleby apparently thought so. At the end of June 1776, he invested in placing an advertisement in the Pennsylvania Evening Post that he previously published in March. “SPRUCE BEER made in Chestnut-street,” he announced. For the convenience of his customers, “Cags [or kegs] as small as five gallons are sent to any part of the city at sixpence per gallon” or three shillings for a dozen bottles of spruce beer. That was not the only product that Appleby stocked. “At the same place may be had,” de declared, “Hare’s American best bottled PORTER, [and] Philadelphia bottled BEER and CYDER, by the grose or dozen.” He was one of several tavernkeepers and other purveyors of beer in Philadelphia who promoted Hare’s Best American Draught Porter. Other than patent medicines, Robert Hare’s porter was one of the first products recognized by a brand name. Appleby also promised quality: “None will be sent out but what is exceeding fine.”
Appleby deployed the same copy in both advertisements, but this was not a case of the type remaining set and inserting it once again. The new iteration of his advertisement had a different format. The use of capital letters for “SPRUCE BEER,” “PORTER,” “BEER,” and “CYDER” remained the same and the first two lines broke at the same point, but the remainder of lines did not. The compositor may have referred to a clipping of the previous advertisement when setting the type for the new one. In addition, this version removed the date, “March 19,” and featured a variant spelling of the advertiser’s name, “APPELBY” rather than “APPLEBY.” Sometimes type for advertisements remained set and undisturbed in printing offices for weeks, but that was not the case for Appleby’s advertisement. The differences make clear that the compositor set the type for the same advertising copy a second time. Appleby seemingly had confidence that his notice worked the first time and merited inserting in the Pennsylvania Evening Post once again.