274. Brand Stories: SAFEGUARD of Procter & Gamble (1963)

SAFEGUARD GOLD, INTRO AD, 1987

Procter & Gamble has a rich heritage of soap-making, as James Gamble was a soap maker. In 1879, they created Ivory that became a worldwide business success. P& G was also known for its beauty and toilet soaps.

SAFEGUARD SOAP PACKS, White and Gold, 1987

In 1963,P&G ventured into the germicidal soap market to answer rising consumer demand for odor and germ protection. Thus SAFEGUARD was launched, a deodorant and antibacterial soap that reduced bacterial skin count by 99.3% in clinical tests. It was successfully rolled out in the U.S., and then in 1966, it was launched internationally, beginning in the Philippines.  The soap came in wrappers with a trademark shield icon, symbolic of its germ protection property.

BEFORE & AFTER DEMONSTRATION OF
DE-GERMING POWER OF SAFEGUARD

The next year, scientific proof of SAFEGUARD’s de-germing efficacy were published in clinical journals.  The studies also showed that Safeguard reduces skin infections by 44%. This became the basis of SAFEGUARD’s advertising messaging in the Philippines that remained unchanged to this day.

SAFEGUARD SHIELD ICON USED AS A SYMBOL OF SAFEGUARD'S GERMICIDAL POWER

One of the earliest, if not the earliest SAFEGUARD TVC shows a man in a bath tub  (played by unknown actor Mario O’Hara) happily scrubbing away with a bar of SAFEGUARD as he extolled the virtues of the anti-bacterial soap.

SAFEGUARD enjoyed even greater success when the local P&G secured the endorsement of the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET). In the 70s, advertising code prevented doctors from promoting products—but not allied medical workers like bacteriologists and medical technologists.  

WATCH SAFEGUARD'S "MILA DELFONSO" 1970s TVC HERE:

uploaded by Juan DeLa Cruz, 1 June 2008

SAFEGUARD capitalized on this, and its advertising agency—Ace Compton Advertising—produced a series of  commercial  featuring real-life medical technologists using the soap, both in the lab and at home.

The creative thin-tank of Ace Compton continued to churn out even more effective and memorable SAFEGUARD advertising with the launch of the “Conscience” campaign. The TV commercials featured mothers in the act of buying more affordable beauty soaps for their families. The mother’s personified “ghost conscience”  appears,  to remind her of her responsibility to give only the best for her family. With her conscience piqued, she chooses SAFEGUARD with 24 hour germicidal protection.

WATCH SAFEGUARD'S "KONSENSYA" 1980s TVC HERE:

Uploaded by Safeguard Philippines, 1 May 2016

With SAFEGUARD dominating the germicidal soap market for decades,  the brand was in a position to launch other promotional initiatives—introducing variants such as SAFEGUARD White and Gold,  linking with PAMET to offer free med tech scholarships, and leading the way with allied efforts like the “Wash Your Hands” campaign that has evolved into a Global Handwashing Day—a unique event that is saving lives around the world.

For the rest of the 80s-90s decade, SAFEGUARD continued to rule the germicidal soap market with its unique combination of effective germ protection and mildness, even with the fold-up of the local P&G marketing office. 

WATCH SAFEGUARD GOLD 1987 TVC HERE:

Uploaded by vibesey, 6 May 2017

SAFEGUARD continues to be present worldwide in 15 countries, including the Philippines.  The modified shield on the packaging is still there—now called Germshield, also a name for the active ingredient  in SAFEGUARD that fights off more types of harmful germs longer than any other anti-bacterial soap. Over the years, new products have been added to the SAFEGUARD name as well—from anti-acne soaps.  body and face wash, to foaming hand soaps.

In these times when the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us, we need to fight germs and viruses more than ever, and reduce incidence of preventable diseases such as diarrhea, influenza, and pneumonia.  Then, as now,  SAFEGUARD is on our side!

SOURCES:

Procter and Gamble Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procter_%26_Gamble

Safeguard, Par of the P&G Family : https://www.safeguard.ph/en-ph?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmpb0BRCBARIsAG7y4zaql_-P3CrUumjeWi9sDEiyTFHlBE71D6S4cyJ5hWjAMAHUh0dlQ5kaArJUEALw_wcB

1988 Creative Guild of the Philippines Awards Night Souvenir Program

VIDEOS:
Safeguard Commercial (Mila Delfonso), uploaded by Juan dela Cruz, 1 Jun. 2008, 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUtUgHRBOw
Safeguard "Konsensya", uploaded by Safeguard Philipines, 1 May 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqPVw79prs&t=37s
Safeguard Gold with new fragrance, uploaded by vibesey, 6 May 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uusp1RHW1-Q