THE START OF A JOURNEY...WHERE DO I BEGIN?

Having successfully negotiated the feedback and comments from the ATR committee, I am happy to say that it is all systems go! With only a few minor adjustments, my PhD proposal is pretty much in place....now the hard bit!

Having spent the last six months, researching literature, and immersing myself in academia (well sort of) I am finally finding my feet so to speak!

The journey so far, has taken me to the subjects of Philosophy (Roland Barthes, Walter Benjamin), Second Wave Feminism (Betty Friedlan) and Product Branding (Stork, McDougalls).

It is the area of branding that I am most interested in and Stork in particular. The Stork Cookery Service, developed in 1954, sought to reinvent basic recipes, in the post-rationing era and in 1956 The Stork Wives Club was launched and by the end of the year had 191 000 members. The club offered advice on cooking and catering.

As part of my research,  I have developed a keen interest in the books that accompanied The Stork Cookery Service. Not only are they attractive, easy to use and manageable, but fairly sought after.


As a direct result of my research,  I will be visiting the Unilever Archive at Port Sunlight in May 2014 to study in more detail, the production of such publications. Stay tuned for an update on my progress and visit to the archive!