The Weider brothers and the advertising of dietary supplements – commercialisation of Scandinavian fitness culture in the 1950s
Journal of Historical Research in Marketing
ISSN: 1755-750X
Article publication date: 6 October 2023
Issue publication date: 22 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
By studying marketing strategies of the global Weider Nutrition International Group, this study aims to analyse how the industry surrounding fitness equipment and dietary supplements interacted with fitness culture through marketing, advertising and consumption in 1950s Scandinavia. The emphasis is on how the Weider Group established their position as a world leader in sports nutrition through mail order partnerships and advertising using bodies and body ideals in their campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
The Weider Group’s marketing campaigns are studied through close reading of text and images in Scandinavian weightlifting and bodybuilding magazines in the 1950s, guided by a theoretical understanding of the body as a constant and ongoing project.
Findings
This study deepens the historical knowledge of market-driven aspects of sport and exercise. The market for nutrition and fitness products was internationalised in the 1950s. The study shows that cooperation between commercial and civic organisations played a major role in the enterprise of selling fitness and nutrition products.
Originality/value
This paper shows that in marketing the products, the advertisements – which appealed to both men and women – not only struck a tone of intimacy and desire but also cultivated a sense of insecurity and inadequacy, as well as individuals’ responsibility for maintaining their own bodies. The latter was reflected in young men’s letters to magazines in which Weider’s products and training programmes were praised. For women, this opened up a previously male-dominated gym environment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank participants at the conference on history of advertising at Stockholm University, 2021, as well as the history of advertising network, as well as the two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions.
Citation
Pihl Skoog, E. (2023), "The Weider brothers and the advertising of dietary supplements – commercialisation of Scandinavian fitness culture in the 1950s", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 243-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-03-2023-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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