Bangkok--31 May--THE SUN INTEGRATED
A century ago, in 1906, a Scot named William Ramsey and his business partner developed an unusually fine boot polish that not only gave boots extra shine but also cared and maintained their origanal beauti and colors. Above all, Ramsey's shoe polish was also waterproof.
In 1906, Ramsey introduced his shoe polish under the KIWI brand, which was named in honor of his wife who was native of Omara, New Zealand of which national icon is the Kiwi bird.Kiwi is also a nickname used by New Zealanders and people around the world to refer to the country.
Ramsey started marketing his KIWI products in Melbourne, Australia. He loaded his goods on a four-wheeled hourse carriage and roamed around to sell his shoe polish to country cowboys who used the products to care for their boots. Following that, KIWI became widely used in Australia due to its exceptional quality.
In 1908, Ramsey began exporting KIWI shoe polish to England, New Zealand and European countries where leather shoes and boots were highly popular.Demand for the products soared sharply.Then in 1914, World War I broke out in europe, which later caused spreading of foot diseases. The only way to prevent the diseases was to keep feet dry and Kiwi's waterproof shoe polish could do just that. The products then became highly sought after.
Unfortunately, in 1914, Ramsey passed away at a young age of 46, just when his business was on its high growth.Nonetheless, the KIWI brand was alive and well. In 1918, the War ended and it was the year that KIWI became international name.
During the economic boom in 1920,business industry was growing rapidly and robust economy enabled people to spend more. Mass, industrialized production of automobiles made traveling to other countries much easier than ever.
Than in 1929 came a major crash of stck markets, followed by the Great Depression that hit the world over. However, KIWI survived the crisis and grew stably. In 1924, KIWI products were sold in more than 50 countries worldwide. Yet to be a truly global brand, KIWI needed to make its presence in the U.S.market. One evidence which confirmed a bright future for KIWI in the U.S. was that during World War II,there were a lot of Americans exchanging their cigarettes in return of KIWI products.When the war ended, soldiers returning from their duties continued to use KIWI shoe polish regularly,which clearly indicted a strong demand for the products. To cater to the market growth, a KIWI factory was finally opened in Philadelphia.
In 1950, business inthe Western world was highly invesment - oriented and competitive. Under leadweship of John kennedy, KIWI opened its new factories in England, India, France, Canada, South America, Spain, andPakistan.KIWI image was transformed from a simple one to be more of "freedom"and"modernity".
In 1967,KIWI became so successful and products so diverse, marking it the right time to bring the KIWI companies under one worldwide banner:KIWI Internation.
In 1984, KIWI internation became part of the multi-national corporation Sara Lee. The 90's were a decade of technology boom as electronics,mobile communication,computers and the Internet became bare necessities, and the world experienced an unprecedented growth. Today, KIWI is present in more than 200 countries, around the world, enjoying over 53% market share as global leader. Moreover, almost 80% of respondents surveyed said they belived that dhoe care played a very important part in their career success.
Shoe fasion is always changing. Shoed can be made from rubber, plastic or metal. Yet noting con beat fine leather shoes of which beauty and value is timeless and always in style.
"Shining and well-cared shore can greatly build up your confidence."This statement is always true, and so is KIWI - the most most wanted shoe polish brand in the world.
The beatiful shine will always us in the next 100 years.