310. The “BLINDFOLD TEST” Campaign of CAMAY Soap, early 1980s

 

CAMAY BLINDFOLD, "Gigi", Print Ad. ca. 1981

Beginning in 1980, CAMAY, Procter & Gamble’s leading  beauty soap launched a more hard-sell campaign to ward off its perennial arch-rival, PRC’s LUX. LUX had all the glamorous stars at its disposal as it was globally positioned as “the soap of movie stars”.  CAMAY felt that perhaps, the soap would appeal to  women on a more rational level, so sometime in the 1980s, it launched a “blindfold ” tactical campaign to test its new mildness.

The “blindfold challenge” was a format used before by CAMAY in the U.K. when it launched its new scent—Camay Wildflower. A blindfolded woman was asked to figure out the scent by smelling  a perfume bottle int which a soap has been inserted. Once she identified the “perfume scent”, her blindfold is removed and her cheeks are lathered with CAMAY soap.

The format was borrowed and was used to challenge a relatively unknown Filipina to test the gentleness of her beauty soap against CAMAY. She lathers one side of her cheek with her current soap, the other cheek with CAMAY. At the end, she is asked to choose which side felt smoother  and more “banayad” on the skin. Invariably, the CAMAY side always won.

A parade of newfound girls were recruited to do the “blindfold test” commercials, to draw in more mass appeal. They were not as well-known as previous talents, but still were referred to as CAMAY girls. Some of the models included the fashion model Gina Leviste, a band singer named Esperanza Tatlonghari (aka Zsa-Zsa Padilla), Angeli Pangilinan, member of the band Music and Magic (future talent management agency owner and wife of Gary Valenciano). A  few memorable lines came out if these popular ads-- as a result of the models’ discovery of Camay’s superiority over their current soap brands.  Upon removing her blindfold, for examples, a surprised Angeli squealed—“Hah? CAMAY? Akin na lang twooooohhhh!”

CREDITS: AGENCY: Ace Compton Advertising / CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gryk Ortaleza / COPYWRITERS: Menchu Arrogante, Mimit Zialcita / CASTER: Baby Dumaup, Myra Mendoza / PRODUCER: Dante Datu / ADVERTISER: Procter & Gamble Philippines