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Design Stories: Exploring Everyday Things

The Tallahassee Democrat. May 7, 1969. p. 07.

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The CGE Branch Plant Economy Examining the economic and social relationships of Canada, Canada’s socio-economic landscape has been deeply influenced by the United States long before the 1970s. During this period, concerns grew over Canada’s increasing economic dependence on the U.S., with fears that the country was losing its sovereignty to American corporate and financial interests during this time (Clarkson 1972). This sentiment stemmed not only from Canada’s failure to fully integrate its diverse population—which included French, Anglo-Saxon, and European groups—but also from its status as a branch plant economy, a system in which foreign-owned companies dominated Canadian manufacturing and industry (Clarkson 1972).

From the late 1800s to the end of WWII, Canada imposed protective tariffs on U.S. goods under the National Policy in order to “shield Canadian manufacturers from American competition” (Mcintosh, 2015). While intended to uplift the Canadian industry, these policies had mixed success. Some argue that they inadvertently led to increased U.S. investment in Canadian markets, as American companies established branch plants in Canada to circumvent these tariffs, often outcompeting local manufacturers (Clarkson 1977). Following WWII, investment in branch plants accelerated, particularly as Canada’s economy rebounded and the discovery of Alberta’s oil fields posed Canada as an attractive area of American investment and business expansion (McIntosh 2015). Given this economic model, it is highly likely that CGE itself was established as a branch plant, benefitting both American and Canadian industries and consumers by allowing General Electric to expand into Canadian markets without facing high import tariffs.

The branch plant economy model may also explain why multiple versions of the same record player existed under different model names and distributors. In Canada, identical record players were sold through retailers such as Canadian Tire, Sears, and Consumers Distributing, yet they were marketed under slightly different names, materials, descriptions, and branding. For instance, a Canadian Tire catalogue listed the record player as being made of polystyrene, while Sears advertised it as polyurethane, and several others labeled it as polyethylene. This suggests that while the original design may have belonged to General Electric, the model was likely licensed or adapted by other Canadian manufacturers and retailers. As McIntosh (2015) notes, "In a relatively small number of cases, foreign firms licensed Canadian companies to use technologies that they had developed, so that goods and services based on these new technologies were produced in Canadian-owned establishments."
Case Study No. 3: The Independent Child-consumer 1 plain 2025-03-17T14:07:24-04:00
Another perspective emerges from McNeal’s 1969 analysis of the child-consumer, which highlights how purchasing products provides the child with two “levels of satisfaction”:
First, the obvious satisfaction is produced by the items purchased, consisting normally of a wide array of sweets and a few inexpensive toys. The second dimension of satis- faction stems from the act rather than from what is purchased. In effect, the purchase act is evidence of ‘grown-upness’ (McNeal 1969)
McNeal’s analysis provides a contemporary perspective on the marketing strategies employed during the time this record player was on the market. The RM110 and V211 models exemplify a then-emerging marketing philosophy that positioned children as an independent consumer demographic with aspirations of maturity and autonomy. In almost every advertisement for both the American model “V211” and its Canadian equivalent, “RM110”, portability is consistently emphasized as a defining feature that distinguishes the product from traditional home record players. This focus on portability was evident even in its earliest advertisements in both Canada and the United States (fig. 8 and fig. 20), reinforcing the idea that the record player was designed for youthful independence and mobility.

Even more illuminating is an advertisement published in the Tallahassee Democrat on May 7, 1969—one of the record player’s earliest appearances on the market. The full ad copy reads:
The
MUSIC MAKER
4-SPEED
PORTABLE PHONOGRAPH

The perfect phonograph for young people who wnat* to be grown up. Big sound … big performance … modest price.
- 4-Speed Turntable
- Solid State Performance
- Rugged Polyethelene* Case
- Built-in Record Storage
- 3½-in. Dynamic Speaker
- Attractive Mod Styling
- Weights only 5 pounds. (fig. 24)
*Misspellings are from original copy

Here, the marketer’s intent is laid clear–this is a phonograph clearly aimed at preteens in the transitory stage in their childhood, aspiring to be recognized as equals by adults. This aligns with the broader marketing shift of the era, which increasingly acknowledged that "at the top of the youngster's hierarchy of needs is the need to be considered mature by adults” (McNeal 1969).