Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles

History

At Rowntree's factory in Fawdon, Tyneside in 1881, Rowntree introduced Fruit Pastilles, and the product proved to be a great success, accounting for about 25 percent of the company's tonnage by 1887. In September 2020, Nestlé announced their intention to make Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles suitable for vegans after many years of requests from consumers.

Tubes of Fruit Pastilles are wrapped in foil-backed paper (paper on the inside, foil on the outside) with a paper wrapper over the top. The paper wrapper is green in colour with "Fruit Pastilles" written along the front in large lettering. Along the bottom of the lettering there are pictures of different types of fruit all relating to the flavours within the packet, The top bears the "Rowntree's" brand name. Fruit Pastilles come in a small pack weighing 52.5 g, containing 14 pastilles, but are also available in larger bags weighing 180 g. They are also available in boxes and larger round cardboard tubes.

Marketing and advertising

The 1972 television advertising campaign used the song Pistol Packin' Mama with the tag line "Pastille Pickin' Mama, pass those pastilles round".

To drive awareness of the 25% fruit juice recipe in Fruit Pastilles, Rowntree conducted a 105-day experimental marketing campaign. At family events, top-end grocers and service stations they invited families to join in their 'What Can You Do But Chew?' talent shows, tying in with the brand's sponsorship of Britain's Got Talent. 427,240 product samples were distributed as brand ambassadors tried to engage parents with the '25% fruit juice' message. 93% of the consumers involved said they'd had a positive shift in brand perception, whilst more than half were 'highly likely' to purchase post campaign.

References

Sources

References

1. "English Translation of “pastille” {{!}} Collins French English Dictionary".
2. "Fruit Pastilles Sharing Bag 150g | Rowntree's".
3. (2 February 2022). "Nestlé confirms Fawdon sweets factory closure in move to EU production". The Guardian.
4. {{harvnb. Fitzgerald. 2007
5. (15 September 2020). "Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles to become vegan friendly".
6. "Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles (3): 1972". headington.org.uk.
7. "Fruit Pastille Experiential Marketing Results". iD Experiential.