When I think about simplistic styles of advertising, this particular tray from the Akron Brewing Company in Akron, Ohio comes to mind. How much more simplistic can a brewery advertising campaign be? You name your beer “White Rock” and you add an image of a white rock in the background! The advertising campaign was done with the simple addition of the words bottled beer. Completed! I do like the coloring of this tray however, and the larger pre-prohibition era oval size which would have held quite a few beers when being delivered to the thirsty customers. This tray certainly helped meet that need.
The Akron Brewing Company was based at 841-869 S. High Street in downtown Akron. Formed by a group of saloonkeepers to compete again the Renner and Burkhardt breweries. First brewing in 1904, the White Rock brand was their signature beer, and was touted for health benefits to differentiate themselves from their competitors. However, the brewery was short-lived since the start of prohibition in 1919 in Ohio put the brewery out of business. Later the building was used by a dairy company which helped propel the buildings longevity in the Akron skyline.