Al-Ahram: A Diwan of contemporary life (628) Try it Advertisements were a good reflection of society and the times. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk explores what was for sale From time to time, advertisements force themselves upon the readers of the Diwan. From the second half of the 1930s, they surface once again to declare, "Here we are!" These advertisements reflected the economic, social and cultural circumstances of this particular period, just as they were an expression of its political developments, particularly those of massive scope. In Egypt, there was no event more grandiose than the passing away of one king and the coronation of another. This event took place in the late 1930s and was reflected in the world of advertising. And as the political event in itself was passing in nature, so the advertisements related to it were also short-lived. The world of smoking was the first to be influenced by the reign of the new king. Al-Ahram printed a large advertisement appropriate for the occasion: "Modern Egypt demands a cigarette befitting its new era. And Al-Bustani has met its demand by creating a cigarette that is modern in its blend, modern in its flavour, modern in its form." After this in large print was "The king of Egypt" and below it in smaller print "with special permission from His Majesty the king," although it is not clear what the permission was for, the name, the advertisement, or the cigarette! On the same occasion, the Girgis Bey Saleh soap factory put out an advertisement for its new product "Coronation soap -- the soap of Farouk I... A soap worthy of its name -- distinguished by unique chemical properties and precise and innovative production." Care was taken to place a photograph of the young king in the advertisement, with a crown above him and the soap below. Perhaps Girgis Bey Saleh's advertising gesture is what inspired another soap factory, Shahin Nabulsi on Al-Azhar Street, to produce what it called "Nabulsi Farouk -- produced from pure olive oil -- for bathing and washing -- try it and confirm its superior quality and pure, consistent fragrance. To facilitate, we sell the piece at wholesale price -- speedy home deliveries free of charge." The most curious of the advertisements Al-Ahram printed on this occasion was for a type of whiskey whose traders were keen to take advantage of to invite Egyptians to sip it to the health of the king. Their advertisement read, "Drink to the crown and bless the king -- society's cream of the crop raises a glass of Antikari in joy over the crowning of His Majesty the king, Farouk the king of Egypt, may God lengthen his life -- A glass of Antikari whiskey in honour of the coronation everywhere." This occasion was also reflected in promotions for some institutions, most prominently hotels and schools. The Greek owner of a hotel that was opening took advantage of the occasion to name it after the new king because everything in it was new, or, as the advertisement claimed, "Farouk I Grand Hotel -- Abdel-Aziz Street, Al-Ataba Al-Khadra Square, next to Olympia Cinema -- everything in it is new! From the fundamental structure to all the adornments, from the basics of the hotel to all the modern requisites -- hot and cold running water in all rooms -- modern-style baths -- reasonable prices and special arrangements for the accommodation of families and long-term stays -- an elevator for ascending and descending according to desire." It seems that at that time guests were in awe of riding elevators. Teacher Nabawiya Moussa, "the famous instructor," also shared in this advertising whirlwind related to His Majesty. Under a drawing of a crown and the cry, "Long live King Farouk I!" was the following advertisement: "On the occasion of the glorious celebration of the coronation of His Majesty the Magnificent King Farouk I the king of Egypt -- the family of the weekly magazine Al-Fata and Al-Ashraf girls schools in Cairo and Alexandria, led by the accomplished instructor Mrs Nabawiya Moussa, offers to His Highness and Majesty the King warm salutations and best wishes. We implore God Almighty to lengthen the life of His Majesty and to fill his days with bounty and blessings, ease and comfort. May God support the king and bestow Egypt with wealth and happiness at his hands." Despite all the ostentation surrounding these advertisements, one would not call them hypocritical, for Egyptians were sincere in their emotions towards the young king during the first years of his reign. These emotions were short-lived, however, and ended with the close of the occasion, and as the years passed transformed into their opposite. The difference is that Egyptians' emotions towards the king were not expressed in advertisements following this transformation. Among the short-lived advertisements issued for political reasons, and perhaps the most famous, were those of Al-Qirsh fez factory. This was a project undertaken at the time by the Misr Al-Fatah Association led by Ahmed Hussein. From time to time the factory advertised its products until it eventually halted production following the ousting of Ahmed Hussein. The advertisements resembled political pamphlets, and included the following: "Five reasons for you to purchase Al-Qirsh fez: It is a purely Egyptian product, it is a product of your factory you established with your pennies, it is fashioned from the highest quality raw materials and its colour is stable, its price is reasonable, and the pennies you pay remain in your country." With the disappearance of the factory, so vanished the advertisement. And with the disappearance of fezzes following the July 1952 Revolution, so closed down the rest of the factories producing the head covering so long a controversy between those accustomed to wearing it and those calling to replace it with a hat. OTHER SHORT-LIVED ADVERTISEMENTS were those of doctors and medicines. It was customary for some doctors to place advertisements of their specialisations and clinic hours in the press. Although most of them were foreigners, in the second half of the 1930s their Egyptian counterparts also began to engage in "private work" after having preferred government posts for so long. They too entered the arena of competitive advertising alongside foreigners and for a short time there was what we could call a "war of advertisements". A reason for this was that at the end of the second half of the 1930s, the focus period of this article, World War II broke out and most foreign doctors returned to their countries of origin, leaving the field open for Egyptians with the exception of a few Levantine, Armenian and Greek doctors. Their role, too, practically disappeared after the war ended, at which time there was no longer any need to advertise. Let's look at two advertisements from the foreign side of the battle, the first from a clinic for the treatment of skin diseases and the second for the treatment of neurological ailments. The first: "A clinic for the treatment of skin diseases and urinary tract disorders under the supervision of Doctor NZ Youanidis, graduate of the University of Berlin and member of the French Association of Skin Diseases, treats with diathermy, rays, and massage with various ointments for a guaranteed curative treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids without surgery. Consultation from 11am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm." And of course the owner of the advertisement did not forget to mention the clinic address -- 187 Emadeddin Street. The second: "Neurological ailments: urinary tract, skin, failure to conceive, frail nerves, paralysis, rheumatism, neurological convulsions, shaking, irregular menstruation, arteriosclerosis, all are completely cured by Professor Kurgi, PhD in electro-therapy from Belgian universities. The clinic is in Cairo, at 54 Fouad I Street, Boulaq, across from Nur Company. Open daily from 2pm to 8pm." Now let's move on to advertisements of Egyptian doctors, which were more humble, perhaps to avoid high costs. The advertisement of a doctor using natural treatments said, "Frail nerves and neurological and reproductive ailments -- failure to reproduce -- frail masculinity -- paralysis -- mental disorders -- convulsions -- insomnia -- headaches -- depression -- paranoia -- delusions -- are completely cured at the hands of the world-renowned professor Mohamed Youssri, PhD in natural medicine from England who spent 17 years as a researcher and practitioner in London -- a visit costs one Egyptian pound." Following this was the clinic's address and hours. It appears that electro-therapy was fashionable during this era, a fact gleaned from the advertisement printed by an Egyptian doctor called Ibrahim Beshai under the title, "The marvel of curing with electricity -- the most recent accomplishment of modern medicine." In this advertisement the Egyptian doctor, who was "formerly the head of doctors in Germany's hospitals," was alleged to treat "ailments of paralysis, diabetes, asthma, rheumatism; diseases of the heart, kidneys, liver, gall bladder, blood pressure, stomach, and enlarged prostate; female ailments, mental and neurological disorders, arteriosclerosis and sciatica, fully cured without operations or medicaments after treatment at the clinic of Ibrahim Beshai." Of course at the end of this advertisement he printed the clinic's address and hours. It appears that the man exaggerated a great deal about his ability to cure these numerous diseases, which indicates that he did not believe in precise specialisation and sheds doubt on the advertisement's claim that he was the head of doctors in the hospitals of Germany. In contrast, his colleague physician Shafiq Erian's advertisement was extremely short and revealed a belief in precise specialisation: "Specialist of the chest and heart -- examination with roentgen rays and registered electronic equipment," followed by the clinic's address and hours. Of the same degree of modesty was the advertisement of physician Saber Basit, "the renowned doctor of stomach and rectum ailments." The advertisement gushed about the doctor's ability to "cure hemorrhoids without pain or knives," meaning without surgery, and did not forget to add in very small print, "and he also treats internal ailments". The advertisement of Hanna Hanna was the shortest of all doctors' ads printed by Al-Ahram and did not exceed seven words (in Arabic) following his name: "for skin and reproductive ailments, meets patients as usual", followed by the clinic's address without mentioning its hours. The other side to health-related advertisements was that concerning medicines, especially those known as nutritional restoratives. These advertisements were characterised by a large degree of curiosity and originality by the standards of the time. Under the title, "Don't render your blood turbid, don't be sorry" was a long advertisement printed here in full due to its novelty. "Precious wisdom and an everlasting marvel -- whoever imparts it deserves a statue to preserve his memory, for it is one of the important principles of health and those who follow it are protected from the evil of annoying diseases and inflictions. What is the ailment of rendering blood turbid? Rendering blood turbid is the passage of bile in the bloodstream. Don't you dare render your blood turbid for that spoils it and causes headaches, dizziness, heart palpitation, insomnia, itching, eczema, constipation, etc. Yet what kind of person is able to not render their blood turbid, particularly in this day and age when we are all subject to rendering our blood turbid whether we like it or not? And yet divine wisdom has created from what the Earth sprouts a medicine for every ailment. Relying on this wisdom, Doctor Edison searched for the best plants with characteristics of expelling toxins from the body until he came to discover a group of them in plants and herbs growing in the Alps Mountains and with them created his famous medicine. The medicine of Doctor Edison purifies blood and is like a wash for the body's internal organs just as a bath is necessary for the body's external organs." Another indirect advertisement of this type came under the title, "He was on the verge of death and a miracle cured him". Readers of the 1 October 1937 issue of Al-Ahram, in which this advertisement was printed, surely imagined that they would read a provocative story until discovering their mistake after the first few lines. Let us read it together; following this thought-provoking title was the following: "Mrs MA wrote to us to say, 'Can words express my thoughts? I don't know how my dear husband would have recovered without your plaster. He suffered lumbago pains and words are insufficient to describe the rapid cure and wondrous relief Allcock's Plaster granted him. Indeed, we had tried numerous medicines, for the highest costs at the least benefit, and this was in fact a squander of time and money.' Why suffer the excruciating pains of lumbago (hardening of the back) that resemble a slicing knife or the torture of sciatica? Put a swift end to that with Allcock's Porous Plaster, just once. Experience yourself the wondrous cure. Its beneficial heat penetrates all the inflicted parts as though it were a self massage. It removes pain, invigorates the blood flow, prevents congestions and brings cure. Request Allcock's Pourous Plaster from the pharmacist now. It is sold for 3.5 piastres." The company owning this "miracle" did not forget to warn readers of cheap or imitation plasters or that they could be avoided by checking the sticker marked by a circle and a red eagle as well as the English words written in prominent letters, "Allcock Porous Plaster". A third advertisement showed a photograph of an obese woman and then another of the same woman after she grew slim, sitting with her husband in apparent happiness. Its title was, "Thirty-one kilos of fat all removed. Her weight went down in one week from 105 kilos to 75 kilos." Below this was the following text: "This woman was carrying 31 extra kilos of fat on her body and whenever someone saw her they would laugh at her because she was as fat as a barrel. But look at her size now, after she used one bottle of Alness treatment and her weight decreased from 105 kilos to 75 kilos. She is happy and glowing with life and she savours company and companionship. People are delighted with her and love her. The important thing is that the salts in Alness remove fat, regulate the blood flow and internal organs, prevent the collection of food waste in the intestines, remove salts and uric acid from the joints, regulate the functioning of the liver and kidney, and cure all pains of lumbago and rheumatism." The last of these provocative advertisements was about "Lengthening an active life and treating diseases". Under this title came the following text: "The most famous scientists have confirmed that the frailty of human bodies and their poisoning with urinary acid, as well as diseases and early aging and even death itself, are all caused by the weakness or malfunctioning of the vital glands. And these same scientists have also confirmed that the vital forces lost with failing health can be returned to the body that has lost them by taking in the essence of the vital glands, 'Kalifluid'. Kalifluid rejuvenates youth, strengthens the human body's elements, returns lost health and strength, activates nourishment, and removes and expels the following: urinary acid, salts and accumulated toxins. After you treat yourself with Kalifluid you will find that your ailments, no matter what they are, disappear, and that your lethargy and frailness is removed and you become energetic, joyous, and savour the tasty flavours of life." Although readers today find such advertisements characterised by a great deal of exaggeration and naïveté, it was possible for readers at that time to believe them. Science had not yet reached the level of progress that has been accomplished during the last 70 years. Moreover, a belief in herbal medicine was still dominant, a type of medicine that some still adhere to under religious terms. Perhaps it was this conviction that made these advertisements short-lived, for they soon disappeared completely from the pages of newspapers, particularly from Al-Ahram, which was known for its credibility. ANOTHER TYPE OF ADVERTISEMENT that disappeared was those related to alcohol, and specifically various types of whiskey. This disappearance did not occur because Egyptians refrained from consuming it, but rather because the government decided to ban the advertisement of alcohol following the efforts spent by the Banning Intoxicants Association side by side with religious associations that called attention to its imminent evil, particularly when turned into a type of addiction. What is interesting in this regard is that the front page of Al-Ahram was usually free of advertisements and when it occasionally happened that there was a front page ad, it was typically for a type of whiskey. This was probably due to the high cost of advertisements on this page that affected most advertisers with the exception of alcohol merchants who raked in high profits. Another type of short-lived advertisement was those for baths. Even after houses were filled with them, the wealthy continued to go to grand hotels where there were Jacuzzi baths. In contrast, ordinary people at that time frequented other types of baths whose advertisements later disappeared when they closed down. An example of these advertisements was found in the 7 April 1937 issue of Al-Ahram : Turkish baths -- 10 Qasr Al-Nil Street, Egyptian Royal Car Club building -- for women: Monday and Friday from 9am to 3pm and Wednesday all day -- for men: Monday and Friday from 3pm to 9pm and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday all day, Sunday from 9am to 3pm." That same period witnessed the height of enjoyment in radio, whose influence waned following the appearance of television in Egypt a quarter century later. It was thus natural for there to be advertisements for various types of radios in the newspapers. Egyptians gave a particularly friendly reception to two brands at that time, Philips and RCA, which invited competing companies to place advertisements so as to enter the fray of competition. Among these was the company American Bush, which printed the same advertisement on the pages of Al-Ahram for an extended period. This advertisement was topped by a large font title, "American Bush radio", under which there was a picture of the inside of two radios produced by the company. Under this came the following text: "What is it that buyers don't see? The manner in which radios are assembled! Look at the picture to your right and you will learn how the famous American Bush radio with central revolving movement is assembled. In the picture to your left you can see how regular radios are assembled. Of 260 factories that began work on radios in 1929, only three remain functioning, and among those three is American Bush." I don't know whether this repeated advertisement had success with Egyptians or not, but as far as I know, the name of this type of radio was not repeated much. It disappeared completely later on, as modern equipment appeared with which the Japanese succeeded in penetrating the market, followed by the rest of the Asian tigers.
