Thrift, sacrifice and Bushells tea: one brand's strategy in the early 1930s

In the early 1930s, the Bushells brand of tea faced a market dampened by the grim mood of the Great Depression. In response and in contrast to the images it had pursued just a few years earlier, Bushells integrated a discourse of judicious consumption into its advertising. Sensitive to the atmosphere of caution and restraint, yet also mindful of middle-class aspirations, the brand forged a unique point of difference that would survive the recession. Given tea’s popularity in Australia in this period, and the extent to which Bushells was associated with middle-class tastes, this was an innovative and effective strategy.