Notes

[alt text]

A black-and-white advertisement shows a truck climbing a steep mountain, paired with text about Merck’s commitment to sorbitol customers. The image suggests endurance and reliability in chemical supply and customer service.

[transcription]

#We’ll go through almost anything to keep a Sorbitol customer happy

See your Merck man or get in touch with us now.
Merck Chemical Division, Merck & Co., Inc., New Jersey 07065.

[additional notes] - Violet Webber

I have seen multiple of these ads across different periodicals. They all frame the company as pushing through nature to find, produce, and provide Sorbitol to their customers. All of the ads have the same catch phrase and do not include any additional text regarding the company, product, or its uses. There is an underlying assumption of reognition when it comes to Merck and Sorbitol.

Merck & Co. was founded in 1891 and is still functioning today. Their website emphasizes people over profits, and their history details how the company has published medical reference manuals, built a innovative research division, synthesized vitamin B1, and discovered streptomycin, the first effective treatment for tuberculosis.

Merck first entered the sorbitol market in 1957, challenging the previous sole producer, Atlas. As the company expanded into bulk chemicals and synthesizing vitamins, producing sorbitol as a raw material for vitamin C was a fitting move.

• https://www.merck.com/company-overview/history/

• https://www.forbes.com/companies/merck-co/

• https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cen-v035n006.p100