In the early years of the 20th century, the founder's grandson Alphonse-Henri-Eugène Leroux, a communications visionary and a pioneer of direct marketing, launched gift tokens on packs concurrently with the development of advertising to retain customer loyalty. Consumers were rewarded with a sum of money or a promotional item in exchange for their tokens. The first winner collected over 10,000 tokens and was rewarded with the sum of 1,000 francs.
Alphonse Leroux was aware of the importance of visual impact on purchasing decisions. He was one of the first entrepreneurs to have advertising posters printed, in 1925.
Leroux was also the first firm to invest in radio advertising.
But by 1963, the French were all sitting in front of the (black and white) box! Leroux very quickly understood the full potential of the medium as a direct communication tool. The company became the second-largest television advertiser of the period, behind sugar. The story of the twins Marc and Dominique began when they were six years old and continued until 1973!
