The Power of Advertising
As with any business, successful advertising was crucial, and Raleigh was no exception. Right from the very beginning product catalogues were made available to dealers and agents, in which the quality and workmanship of Raleigh cycles were championed. Many of the advertisements carried glowing references from satisfied customers who were more than willing to enhance the company's reputation for reliability and performance.
The Raleigh archive contains a great deal of advertising material, including a long series of posters and product catalogues: in fact the collection contains an almost unbroken run of advertising material covering over 100 years. Very few business archives have such comprehensive runs of material, and what is interesting with this archive, is that as Raleigh took over companies such as Rudge, Humber and Triumph, it also took over their advertising material.
This is one of the earliest catalogues contained within the archive. When Raleigh took over Rudge-Whitworth (as it became known), it also took over all of its records. Product catalogues and other advertising material are an important part of the Raleigh archive and a good source for technical specifications regarding individual models. Older catalogues often include testimonials from satisfied customers; this one is no exception, with nearly half the catalogue devoted to them.
The image of a lion chasing a Raleigh rider was the longest running advertising campaign of the company. The poster was first introduced in the 1930s and used in various forms until the 1980s. The example shown dates from the 1950s. Interestingly, the conclusion of the pursuit, as depicted in the smaller picture, altered during the campaign. Mostly, the cyclist (whose nationality and dress was adapted according to need) outran his pursuer, but one example shows a victorious lion proudly pushing his Raleigh cycle away!
During the 1950s some of the best advertising material within the archive was produced, and certainly some of the most colourful. It was the dawn of the 'new Elizabethan' era, and the post war boom years. Raleigh was also keen to continue promoting its global market. 
Advertising material from the 1970s and the 1980s was dominated by photographs rather than original artwork. Catchy slogans were used to entice new customers, or showcased features of the model, such as being able to use BMX bikes for stunts.
By the 1990s, advertising posters were no longer featuring a bicycle as prominently as before, instead focusing on marketing the Raleigh brand.
