170. IRISH SPRING: “A New, Manly Scent”, 1981

IRISH SPRING , magazine  launch ad, 1981.

The deodorant soap brand known for its “new, manly scent”, but good enough for the whole family was introduced by Colgate-Palmolive Phils. in 1981. IRISH SPRING—by then, was already a decade old, having been marketed first in 1970 in Germany, then launched in the U.S. in 1972.

IRISH SPRING has an interesting brand lore. A spring day in  Ireland was much longer, with the sun still up at 10 in the evening. This gave the Irish men more hours of labor, which meant the need for longer deodorant protection—hence the name IRISH SPRING.

The Philippine IRISH SPRING was packaged in a distinctive  carton box with a 3-leaf clover icon, a traditional Irish symbol. Premium-priced, it was sold on the basis of its double-deodorant system for longer deodorant protection.

WATCH THE IRISH SPRING TVC HERE:

To complete  the “imported” image of the product, U.S.-produced IRISH SPRING commercials were used in the local launch, featuring an Irish village setting with actors speaking in the trademark Irish brogue.

To demonstrate the presence of double-deodorants in the soap, TV ads showed the side of the soap being carved with a knife to reveal the soap's green striped cross-section. The brand produced one of the most memorable slogans-- The product had one of the most famous slogans : "Manly, yes, but I like it too!" to communicate its expanded usage and appeal for both sexes, and in the case of the Philippine market--for the whole family.

Though IRISH SPRING  prospered in the U.S. with line extensions that include shaving products, deodorant and body wash, the life of the brand in the Philippines was rather short, disappearing in less than a decade, primarily because of its high price. Today, IRISH SPRING is available in the Philippines as an original, imported premium brand with a market price ranging from 70-100 pesos per bar.

SOURCES:
"Irish Spring", wikipedia.com
Irish Spring Soap 1978 TV Commercial. uploaded by robatsea2009, published on June 30, 2017.