Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

George Harris: Rowntree’s marketing revolutionary

A lecture by Dr Ralph Kaner is association with the Sheldon Memorial Trust.

George Harris joined Rowntrees in 1923, and was Chairman from 1941 to 1952.  By force of his personality and the evident success of his strategy, he committed the sometimes reluctant company to a new modern sophisticated Brands Marketing approach.  The result was Rowntrees’ prosperous growth, so important to York’s economy, and the lasting appearance of such products as Black Magic, Smarties, Aero, and above all Kit Kat, today recognised as a successful global brand.

Link
For further details of The Sheldon Memorial Trust, follow this link: http://www.sheldonmemorialtrust.org.uk/

Report

Dr Kaner gave fascinating insights into the complex personality of George Harris, the internal politics of the Rowntree’s board, and the introduction of modern marketing techniques. For his courage and leadership in the WW1 trenches, Harris was awarded the MC with bar and was promoted to major. He studied mathematics and accounting before marrying Freda Rowntree in 1923 and joining the family business. Rowntree’s was failing because of the recession, compounded by competition from Cadbury’s, a poor product range, and a trial and error approach. In 1925, Harris studied the American scientific approach to marketing. His multiple requests to join the board were rejected, partly because of his ‘Hitlerite’ tendencies. Harris was eventually elected to a reorganised York Board in 1931. Harris undertook a comprehensive market survey to establish what his customers really wanted. He developed Black Magic – a successful brand with distinctive packaging and subtle advertising. He subsequently developed Aero, Kit Kat, Dairy Box, and Smarties. For transforming Rowntree’s, Harris was belatedly elected to the Group Board in 1936, and was chairman from 1941-52.

Rod Leonard