Penguin
Brand history
Penguin was first produced in 1932 by William McDonald, a biscuit manufacturer in Glasgow, and became a McVitie’s brand when McDonald joined with McVitie’s and Price, MacFarlane Lang & Co and Crawford to form United Biscuits in 1948.
McVitie’s first introduced Penguins in television in the early 1970’s when Derek Nimmo uttered those magic words ‘P…p…pick up a Penguin’ and was one of the first biscuit brands to be advertised by brand not manufacturer. Past Penguin advertising has featured real penguins playing football, going on scout camp and visiting museums.
Brand facts
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Brand fact 1
McVitie’s most popular chocolate biscuit bar, Penguin, is now 78 years old. One of the first biscuits to be advertised by name rather than company, its association with the distinctive birds (the packaging features a giant Emperor Penguin) is synonymous with the brand’s appeal.
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Brand fact 2
Penguin launched a new website in March 2010: www.penguinbiscuits.com which includes a good balance of fun and education. The website includes facts about penguins and their habitat, a chance to view the much loved McVitie’s Penguin jokes, updates on the McVitie’s Penguin range and a webcam link through to Dublin Zoo’s penguin enclosure.
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Brand fact 3
We at Penguin have developed a long-term commitment to helping the care and welfare of penguins. We have developed the campaign name and logo of 'Protect the Penguins', which demonstrates our support of these loveable animals!
To this end, we are currently working with the WWF, donating £100,000 to help WWF's conservation of penguins in the Antarctic.