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Overview
This poster from the early 1990s advertises Skellerup’s Hard Country Wear clothing range, modelled by 1990 Young Farmer of the Year, Tony Blunt. Blunt was the ‘pin-up boy’ for Skellerup’s marketing campaigns for several years after his win (Taylor 2019, 70). The poster shows a range of clothing suitable for farm work, including Skellerup’s iconic Red Band gumboots.
The idea for the Young Farmer of the Year contest came from Skellerup’s marketing manager James (Jim) Collins. As the primary sponsor for 25 years, Skellerup was for a time almost synonymous with the contest. It was their most significant sponsored event and at the peak of their involvement, the company invested $200,000 each year. They also built a ‘well-oiled publicity machine’ to deliver the Skellerup Young Farmer message to as large a proportion of the population as possible. This included advertising on television, radio, in print media, and at competition events.
Skellerup’s sponsorship ended in 1997 when Wrightson and AGMARDT (The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust) took over naming rights, and there have since been a number of named sponsors.
References
- Taylor, Kate. 2019. 50 Years Young: A History of the Young Farmer of the Year. Auckland: Massey University Press.
- ---, 1987. A Background to Skellerup Young Farmer of the Year. Christchurch: Skellerup Industries in association with the New Zealand Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs.