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An encrypted advertisement from the 1980s: Can you solve it?

Von / 28. August 2018 / 5 Kommentare
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Here’s another encrypted text from an advertisement. It comes from Canada.

Over the last two weeks, I blogged about a new advertisement poster blog reader George Lasry spotted in a London subway train and about an advertisement series published in the 1930s (discovered by blog reader Rossignol). Today, I am going to introduce another advertisement bearing an encrypted message. This one was launched in the mid-1980s in Canada. To my regret, I only have a description of the ad, but no photograph or scan of it. Perhaps, a (Canadian) reader can help.

The advertisement in question was introduced in an article titled Cadbury Code Confidential in Cryptologia 4/1986. The article mentions a crypto enthusiast named Richard Outerbridge from Toronto. It is probably the same person who today runs the Twitter account @outerbridger (I don’t know if it is still active; the last tweet was published in 2013). Many of Outerbridge’s tweets are about cryptologic topics.

Here’s an excerpt from the Cryptologia article:

Some time ago Richard Outerbridge of Toronto, Ontario noticed an interesting CARAMILK …

Caramilk

… subway advertisement. The message read:

“After years of public pressure, Cadbury finally explains how we get the soft, creamy caramel inside the Caramilk Bar. [In code, of course. After all, we don’t want everybody to know.] Over an opened Caramilk Bar appears a replica of a memorandum. It reads as follows:

Cadbury Schweppes Powell Inc.
Cadbury Division CONFIDENTIAL

GHPCS PCEPMPEGAL YRREH ,Y
TO,T,LAWR ACE TAXAIRL YX,I HIALL
O,DDRXH AF,MR ERD,HPW,XH HOW YL,K PH EPMPERE PXY, AH
IAC^ HRTWP,CH AH WOR CGIFRX ,Y XRNGPXRE ERD,HPWH AW WOR
R,WW,I ,Y WOR ERD,HPW,X PH
WOR TRCWXR FL,TB KPWO DLAWRH
RATO DX,SXRHHPMRL^ HDLPWWPCS WOR YL,K ,Y RPWORX
PCSXREPRCW PCW, WK, HWXR
AIH GCWPL WOR XRNGPXRE CGIFRX
PH XRATORE WOR PCEPKPEGAL ERD,HPWH AXR HOABRC
W,SRWORX W Y,XI WOR T,IDLRWR YPCPHORE FAX

FOR RELEASE

There follow routing slip names with signatures for President, Vice-President Marketing, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, and Technical Manager.

Can you break this cryptogram?

The solution is available on a Canadian website that can be found via Google. I’m sure, it will also be available on this page soon.


Further reading:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13501820
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/763282653806483/

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Kommentare (5)

  1. #1 David Allen Wilson
    28. August 2018

    using individual feeds of chocolate and caramel from small hoppers above depositors sht flow is divided irfo as man sections as the number of required deposits at the eottom of the depositor is the centre block with plates each progressivel splitting the flow of either ingredient into two stre ams until the required number is reached the indiwidual deposits are shaken together t form the complete finished

  2. #2 Klaus Schmeh
    28. August 2018

    @David Allen Wilson: Thanks!

  3. #3 Klaus Schmeh
    28. August 2018

    Here’s an article giving some interesting background information (thanks to William Higinbotham for the hint): https://www.blogto.com/city/2013/03/that_time_when_a_toronto_ad_man_dreamed_up_the_caramilk_mystery/

  4. #4 Jeremy McCarthy
    England, Europa.
    29. August 2018

    #1 doesn’t seem to be quite right: for example, in “depositors sht flow” it looks to me that “sht” should be “the”…

    It looks like it isn’t just a 26 letter MASC. Is the transcription accurate?