410. Brand Stories: DR. WEST’S TOOTHBRUSH, Philippine Ads 1929-1961

AN EARLY 1929 DR. WEST'S TOOTHBRUSH Print Ad, Graphic Magazine

DR. WEST’S –a name that originated from West Products Company--became a byword in dental hygiene when, in 1938, the company introduced the world’s first nylon toothbrush—the DR. WEST’S Miracle Tuft Tootbrush. But the globally popular brand was already in existence since 1921,  when the Chicago-based company, launched its DR. WEST’S Toothbrush with the health curve, that follows the curved angles of the mouth for better cleaning. These toothbrushes and their subsequent variants were known and sold  as WESCO Products.

1924 DR. WEST'S with Health Curve

Less than a decade after its introduction, DR. WEST’S Toothbrush brands were being sold in the Philippines, available at local druggists. These early toothbrushes were still being made with ”choice, carefully-selected bristles” from animal hair, like boars and pigs.

1929 DR. WEST'S TOOTHBRUSH Philippine Ad

The West Products Company changed all that in 1938, when it launched the orange coloured, medium size, Dr. WEST’S Miracle Tuft Toothbrush. Originally released in February 1938, this toothbrush was the first successful commercial application of nylon, marketed as the DuPont 'Exton' bristle.

DR. WEST'S GERM-FIGHTER AD, 1959

In October 1938, the West Products Company, Chicago rolled out  an intensive national advertising campaign for its new toothbrush with the Dupont-made synthetic bristles. The ads communicated 4 benefits:  ‘No bristle shedding, 100 percent waterproofed, longer life, greater cleaning power.’ The value of oral hygiene was underscored when DR. WEST’S Toothbrushes were included in the personal kits of soliders  who served during World War II.

DR. WEST'S Color Ad, 1961

When WECO's exclusive franchise with Dupont  on the use of the bristles expired in 1940, other manufacturers began to make nylon bristled toothbrushes. By the 1950s, almost 80% of all toothbrushes had synthetic bristles. DR. WEST’s Tootbrushes were advertised until the 1960s in Philippine magazines.  The 1961 colored ad played up on the different color handles available to make brushing with the germ-fighting DR. WEST’S Toothbrush more fun and appealing.

There is no information available about the closure of the West Products Co. business,  Today, there are Dr. West (not West’s) toothbrushes being made in China and Oman, but these are not in any way, connected with the original DR. WEST’S Toothbrush of West Products Co.

SOURCES:

1924 Dr. West’s print Ad, ebay.com

Dr. West’s ad,  Life Magazine ,Nov. 21, 1938 issue.

History of the Modern Toothbrush, by White Dental Studio | Oct 12, 2015 |, https://mywhitedental.com/toothbrush-history/

409. CALUMET: The Double-Acting, Better Baking Powder, 1956-1960

1950s CALUMET PRINT ADS, with endorsers Gloria Romero and Lolita Rodriguez

One of the most popular baking products in the world with the most recognizable packaging is CALUMET Baking Powder. Chicagoan William Monroe Wright, with partner chemist George Campbell Rew, formulated a revolutionary, double-acting baking powder in 1899 that replaced cream of tartar with aluminum phosphate and also included dried egg whites.

The product was christened CALUMET, after a French-derived word for a Native American ceremonial pipe. It was also the name given to the land that would give rise to Calumet City, Illinois. The red, black and white CALUMET tin canisters featured the stylized profile of an Indian wearing a feathered war bonnet. To this day, this iconic packaging remains unchanged.

1956 CALUMET AD, Baked Desserts

1956 CALUMET AD,Baked Desserts

The success of CALUMET prompted Wright to put up his CALUMET Baking Powder Company  until it was acquired by General Foods in 1929..

CALUMET RECIPE ADS, 1957

CALUMET Baking Powder became available in the Philippines in the 1950s, when Filipino women discovered the joys of baking in modern ovens. It was heavily advertised in 2-color ads in leading magazines, using movie celebrities like Gloria Romero and Lolita Rodriguez as endorsers. Ot was promoted along with Swans Down Cake Flour, another General Foods product.

FILM STAR GLORIA ROMERO FOR CALUMET, 1958

LOLITA RODRIGUEZ CALUMET AD,1959

GLORIA ROMERO FOR CALUMET, 1958

In 1990, General Foods merged with Kraft Foods. The company grew even bigger when, 2015, Kraft Foods  merged with H.J. Heinz Co. It continues to produce and market CALUMET Baking Powder today

1960 VINTAGE CALUMET ADS

SOURCES:

The Kraft Heinz Co., https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/

Calumet, on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_Baking_Powder_Company

 

408. Before Mineral Water Became Commonplace, there was AGUA DE CARABAÑA, 1978, 1990 Ads

AGUA DE CARABAÑA Ad, 1978

There was a time that bottled mineral water was a rare sight in the Philippines. Imported brands like Evian were looked at as status symbols of high society people, who carried the small, green bottles to outdoor and sports events like they were flaunting their Rolexes and Vuittons

But long before we were introduced to mineral water in PET bottles, Filipinos in the peacetime era were discovering the many health benefits of AGUA DE CARABAÑA, mineral water in clear glass or aqua bottles, from the Carabaña Springs of Spain. The water was believed to have curative and medicinal properties that it was soon being commercially bottled in the early 20th c. to America and Europe. AGUA DE CARABAÑA then was available only in boticas and farmacias in the Philippines and was used to cure all sorts of ailments--from kidney problems, stomach ills and even as an abortifacient!

AGUA DE CARABAÑA Ad, 1990

In the 70s, AGUA DE CARABAÑA was distributed by PhilUSA Corp., an importer based in Pasig. The water came in colored and clear  bottles with the familiar Agua brand name in relief. The brand was marketed professionally, supported by print advertising. However, it continued to be sold as medicinal water that “works wonders for you, inside and out”, with laxative and antiseptic properties to clear skin and maintain digestive health.

OLD AGUA DE CARABAÑA COLLECTIBLE BOTTLES

Today, mineral water is so commonplace in the Philippines—there are scoresof brands with fancy names to choose from,  readily available from supermarkets, convenience, and neighborhood sari-sari stores.  AGUA DE CARABAÑA has since become obsolete after the ‘90s, its name and history forgotten--but that’s water under the bridge.

SOURCE:

Castro, Alex. flyandflea.blogspot

407. ZENCO FOOTSTEP: We Shoe The Philippines, 1983

ZENCO FOOTSTEP CORPORATE AD, 1983

The shoe store that boomed in the 80s and 90s selling such brands as Mighty Kid, Islander and Kaypee, started back in 1957 as Zenco Commercial (ZENCO) , a distributor of footwear founded by Yao Khapu. From a tiny store in Binondo, and later in Caloocan, Khapu moved to Divisoria to open his  first ZENCO FOOTSTEP on 26 May 1961. A strong marketing network propelled ZENCO FOOTSTEP’s business, pushing its diverse footwear and shoemaking products in major markets  nationwide.

 WATCH A 1991 ZENCO TVC HERE:

Courtesy: RoofDev Studios

When ZENCO partnered with Rubberworld Philippines in 1981, business grew even more, and soon ZENCO FOOTSTEP became the place to go for Rubberworld products that became hugely popular with the young and sport set, including Grosby, Adidas, Spartan sandals, Kaypee, Dockmaster, Mighty Kid shoes and fashions.

The closure of Rubberworld due to the financial crisis, the pull-out of Addias, and the renewed effort of SM stores to regain its foothold of the footwear business by building its giant malls  in 1990s, put a halt to ZENCO’s amazing run. Through all these, ZENCO FOOTSTEP remains in business today—more modest, but still viable-- in a few, but choice locations nationwide.

 SOURCES:

Zenco Footstep weebly: http://zfootsteps.weebly.com/about-us.html

 A short history of Zenco Footstep, https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/zenco-footstep-history-a00289-20220615

 Zenco Footstep TVC (1991) (Effects and footages), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNjf5jvpIrg, Uploaded by RoofDev Studios