GRANGERADVERTISING

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE IST ERA (1919 – 1922)

While Goodwin Granger may have started building rods as early as 1914, the first ads to offer them for sale began in April of 1919.

The first ads from 1919 were simple and small—about 2″ wide. Granger considered the dry climate & elevation in Denver as a unique selling point and also touted a better power-to-weight ratio than “other rods”. It seems as if he was trying to differentiate himself from the East Coast rod makers of the day. Even these first ads from 1919 mention the availability of a catalog, yet none have surfaced to date. (If you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Ads from 1920 and 1921 highlight a more refined approach. Granger encourages customers to “Send me an order… that suits your pocketbook, tell me the kind of fishing for which you wish to use the rod… and I’ll send you a rod that will satisfy you in every respect.” This suggests that Granger was perhaps willing to customize rods for his customers’ needs. An ad from March 1921 also supports this: “There is a Granger rod for every kind of fishing. Special rods made to order.” There may have been as many as 4 grades offered before 1921 (4 prices listed in June 1920 ad), but that was reduced to 3 grades by March 1921. Interestingly, the 1921 ads all suggest that there may be another early color Goodwin Granger catalog: “Send for free circular, with rods illustrated in actual colors.”  (Again, if you know of any catalogs from this time period, please contact us.)

Goodwin Granger himself was experimenting with rod design during this time—especially in 1921 when he was introduced to the sport of Tournament Casting.

Ads from 1922, discuss the “new Deluxe and Premier models.”  The earliest 1st era rods were all labeled “The Granger Rod”—regardless of grade. It is believed that standardizing the model names at this time was an easier way to sell and market the differences between the rods that Granger offered at the time.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER & CO.” as the business entity and the addresses is consistent in this era at “East Ninth Ave., Denver, Colorado”.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Outdoor Life - First Granger Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Field & Stream Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1919 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1919 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1920 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
June 1920 Field & Stream Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
August 1920 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1921 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
June 1921 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1922 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad
May 1922 Outers Recreation Ad

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 2ND ERA (1923 – 1926)

Ads from the 2nd era represent one of the biggest transitions in rod design. From these ads, along with the 1923-1924 Goodwin Granger Catalog, we know that tapers across the lineup changed to include a swelled butt section that lead to increased power and better overall cast-ability.  Available rods from this era included: the “Granger Rod”, “Goodwin Rod” and “Denver Special” (in 1924).

Ads from 1923 were focused on customer testimonials highlighting large catches on Granger Rods. These first ads only list 2 prices for “fly rods at $40 and $30″. It is interesting so note that the rod illustrations in 1923 appear to be of a first era Premier—perhaps to reduce inventory before the newly designed rods became available. Then in 1924, The Denver Special re-appears and prices now show a range: “fly rods at $45 to $20″.

The ads in 1925 & 1926 are much more illustrative and large by Granger’s ad-buying standards. We also see the first use of the “Granger Rods” script that is now commonly associated with Granger rods.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER & CO.” as the business entity and the addresses is consistent in this era at “East Ninth Ave., Denver, Colorado”.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
March 1923 Field & Stream Ad
March 1923 Field & Stream Ad
April 1923 Field & Stream Ad
April 1923 Field & Stream Ad
May 1923 Outers Recreation Ad
May 1923 Outers Recreation Ad
March 1924 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1924 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1924 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1924 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1925 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1925 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1925 Field & Stream Ad
April 1925 Field & Stream Ad
May 1925 Outdoor America Ad
May 1925 Outdoor America Ad
May 1925 Field & Stream Ad
May 1925 Field & Stream Ad
March 1926 Outdoor America Ad
March 1926 Outdoor America Ad
April 1926 Outdoor America Ad
April 1926 Outdoor America Ad
May 1926 Outdoor America Ad
May 1926 Outdoor America Ad
May 1926 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1926 Outdoor Life Ad

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 3RD ERA (1927 – 1929)

In a short 3-year period, Goodwin Granger created a prolific amount of advertisements for rods of the 3rd Era. The company re-incorporated from “Goodwin Granger & Co” to “Goodwin Granger Company” and may account for the increased ad volume. Several of the ads list the full product lineup that included the “Granger Rod”, “Goodwin Rod”, “Denver Special” and “Colorado Special”.

Ads from 1927 typically focused on what an “extraordinary value” these rods are to the fisherman. Especially with the announcement of “reduced prices” from the previous era. Fly rods were now priced between $12.50 – $40.  Granger was also extremely proud of their 1927 full color catalog as referenced in their call-to-action: “Our new 1927 catalog—the classiest little fishing rod catalog you ever saw—depicting our rods in actual colors of windings and finishes, and showing how and where these rods are made—is yours for the asking.”

Many of the ads from 1928 & 1929 depict various stages of the build process with photos from the Granger factory floor.  These photos appeared together in a Scientific American article (May 1929) highlighting the various stages of Granger rod production.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER COMPANY” as the business entity and the addresses show a change in location from the “Corner of Broadway & Virginia, Denver, Colorado” to the “Grant St, Denver, Colorado” location.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
April 1927 Field & Stream Ad
April 1927 Field & Stream Ad
1929 Sporting Goods Journal Ad
1929 Sporting Goods Journal Ad
June 1927 Outdoor Life Ad
June 1927 Outdoor Life Ad
February 1928 Outdoor America Ad
February 1928 Outdoor America Ad
March 1928 Field & Stream Ad
March 1928 Field & Stream Ad
March 1929 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1929 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1929 Field & Stream Ad
May 1929 Field & Stream Ad
February 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
February 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1928 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1928 Outdoor America Ad
May 1928 Outdoor America Ad
1927 Outdoor Recreation Granger Ad
1927 Outdoor Recreation Granger Ad
April 1929 Outdoor Life Ad
April 1929 Outdoor Life Ad
May 1929 Outdoor America Ad
May 1929 Outdoor America Ad

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 4TH ERA (1930 – 1933)

Goodwin Granger advertisements of the 4th Era reflect a change in style and format. The earliest ads from 1930—and supported by the 1931 Goodwin Granger Catalog—introduce radical changes to the names of the Granger grades. The Denver Special and Colorado Special were replaced with simply a “Special”, The Goodwin Rod was renamed the “Favorite”, The Granger Rod was renamed the “DeLuxe”, and the former Tournament Grade became known as the “Premier”.

Ads from 1931 introduced a new writing style that describes how “YOU”—the buyer—will get the most out of “YOUR” Granger Rod. Prices range from $10 to $55 for a Premier Tournament Rod.

Ads from 1932 are the first of the smaller size—likely to save on cost. These ads also reflect a change in design style from previous ads. As far as we can tell, these are the firsts ad that use illustrations of people that a viewer may identify with.

To date, we have found no ads from 1933. The reason for this remains unclear.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER COMPANY” as the business entity and the address is consistent at Grant St, Denver, Colo.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
March 1930 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1930 Outdoor Life Ad
1930 Sporting Goods Journal Ad
1930 Sporting Goods Journal Ad
April 1930 Field & Stream Ad
April 1930 Field & Stream Ad
March 1931 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1931 Outdoor Life Ad
March 1931 Field & Stream Ad
March 1931 Field & Stream Ad
April 1931 Outdoor America Ad
April 1931 Outdoor America Ad
April 1932 Field & Stream Ad
April 1932 Field & Stream Ad
May 1932 Field & Stream Ad
May 1932 Field & Stream Ad

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 5TH ERA WITH PATENT PENDING REEL SEAT (1934 – 1937)

Goodwin Granger advertisements of the early 5th Era are all on the smaller side, produced in just one color (black), and have a similar layout. Most of the body copy describes the qualities of EVERY Granger Rod and the enjoyment one gets out of using such DEPENDABLE equipment.

The first ad in 1934 introduces the Granger Champion grade. The Champion grade is also featured in the 1934 Goodwin Granger Catalog.

The last ad in 1937 announces the production of the “NEW 1937 CATALOG“. This is the 1937 catalog with the GRANGER GREEN cover.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER CO.” as the business entity and the address is consistent at Grant St, Denver, Colo.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
May 1934 Field and Stream
May 1934 Field and Stream
March 1936 Field and Stream
March 1936 Field and Stream
April 1935 Field and Stream
April 1935 Field and Stream
April 1936 Field and Stream
April 1936 Field and Stream
May 1935 Field and Stream
May 1935 Field and Stream
May 1936 Field and Stream
May 1936 Field and Stream
June 1935 Field and Stream
June 1935 Field and Stream
May 1937 Field and Stream
May 1937 Field and Stream

GOODWIN GRANGER ADVERTISING IN THE 5TH ERA WITH PATENTED REEL SEAT (1938 – 1942)

Goodwin Granger advertisements of the late 5th Era are 2x – 3x larger than their predecessors and were also produced in just one color (black). The headlines in these ads tend to focus on the inherent VALUE of Granger Rods.

The first ads in 1938 highlight the “Granger Patented Locking Screw Reel Seat”.

In March of 1939, the ads describe another “NEW CATALOG”.  This is the 1939 Catalog with the SILVER cover. Two years later, Granger released the 1941 Catalog with the YELLOW cover.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER CO.” as the business entity and the address is consistent at Grant Street, Denver, Colo.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.
March 1938 Field and Stream
March 1938 Field and Stream
March 1940 Field and Stream
March 1940 Field and Stream
June 1941 Outdoor Life
June 1941 Outdoor Life
April 1938 Field and Stream
April 1938 Field and Stream
April 1940 Field and Stream
April 1940 Field and Stream
March 1939 Field and Stream
March 1939 Field and Stream
March 1941 Outdoor Life
March 1941 Outdoor Life
April 1939 Field and Stream
April 1939 Field and Stream
April 1941 Field and Stream
April 1941 Field and Stream