From the collection of
Established in 2001, the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive holds an unrivalled collection of films, TV and radio broadcasts, video tapes and sound recordings relating to Wales and the Welsh, from 1898 to the present day. The collection spans multiples formats and genres, both professional and amateur.
Life is looking up! The war is over and the 'Corona Man' can visit his Corona families once more, door-to-door.
The Corona sparkle, that's what's missing! But not for much longer. As this cinema advert makes clear, Corona drinks will soon be delivered door-to-door again, the service having been disrupted during WWII when lorries and drivers were commandeered by the government. Corona drinks were manufactured by Thomas & Evans Ltd, the first factory being in Porth, Rhondda, at the Welsh Hills Mineral Water Factory (since 2000 a recording studio known as The Pop Factory).
The original Mr William Thomas and Mr William Evans were Porth grocers who, in the 1890s, decided to market an alternative to alcohol for thirsty miners. They were not successful in getting pubs to stock their soft drinks but did excellent business selling door-to-door to families, using horses and carts and, later, vans. Further factories were opened in e.g. Pengam, Maesteg and Bridgend. Corona was sold in 1958 to the Beecham Group, which kept the company brand and production continued to be centralised in the south until 1987 when the company was bought by Britvic Soft Drinks and the Welsh Hills plant was closed, production being transferred to Lancashire. The Corona brand was withdrawn in the late 1990s.
The 1930s saw screen advertising find its voice. That wasn't just down to the arrival of the 'talkies', but to the increasing professionalism of ad agencies and production companies.
Through WWII and the postwar austerity years and into the 'never had it so good' 1950s - when it had to compete with the new commercial television service - cinema advertising offered a bigger bang for your advertising buck.
