In post-war Germany concrete claims were made about the benefits Ceresan would bring: “Revenues of round 50 D-marks per hectare through increased yields on the one hand, a low-cost investment on the other.” Consistent branding, high degrees of user awareness and, above all, a top-quality product paved the way for half a century of success “in more than 50 countries of the world” (as another advertisement put it).
Export hit
Launched in Germany in 1929, Ceresan was an instant hit. The universal applicability of this dry seed treatment and the fact that it was a non-irritant were clear arguments in Ceresan’s favor. Just how quickly the use of Ceresan spread in Germany is indicated by the following figures: the amount sold in Germany in 1933 was enough to treat 4 million hundredweight
of wheat or rye; by 1939 the figure had risen to 10 million hundredweight. The growth in Ceresan usage outside Germany is just as impressive: the amount sold in foreign markets in 1933 was enough to treat 1.5 million hundredweight of cereals; by 1939 the figure had rocketed up to 8 million hundredweight.