417. Your Little Honey Will Love It!: DARI CRÈME HONEY, 1989

 DARI CREME WITH HONEY, 'How Sweet it is to be Loved by You", 1989

DARI CRÈME was one of the first products of Procter & Gamble PMC (now P&G Phils., Inc.)  launched in 1959. It was the first locally manufactured refrigerated margarine and was introduced as a local alternative to imported butter. By 1990, it owned 70% of the butter-tasting spreads market.

So successful was DARI CRÈME that in 1989, P&G decided to launch a new taste: DARI CRÈME Honey. It was introduced to the market in response to growing demand for a wider variety in margarine tastes. This variety was made with “the real goodness of honey”, and capitalized on the habit of slathering pancakes and bread with butter and syrup.

WATCH DARI CREME HONEY TVC 15s Here:

It was so successful that at one point, it held a substantial chunk of the total DARI CRÈME business. Aside from DARI CRÈME Classic, there  was also a DARI CREME Buttermilk variant.

The 15 sec. commercial for DARI CRÈME Honey was created by Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the accredited agencies of P&G Phils. It featured a James Taylor song, “How Sweet It Is”, and a honeybee animation. The kid talent was the young Paolo Contis. The agency creative team was led by Cid Reyes (Creative Director), Lilit Trinidad (Copywriter), Bingo Bautista (Art Director).  DARI CRÈME Honey was good for just a few years, until P&G ceased production of this once popular variant. 

SOURCES:

Saatchi Update Asia newsletter, Dec. 1990

Jojo Bailon, View on the 3rd

416. Strikingly Similar: BRYLCREEM and GARD Ads, 1978

BRYLCREEM AND GARD Hairdressing, 1978

BRYLCREEM was created back in 1928 by an English company--County Chemicals—in Birmingham, England, and owned for the longest time by Beecham. The hairdressing cream was actually and emulsion of water and mineral oil, stabilized with beeswax. When applied to hair, it provides a brilliant shine—hence the roduct name, BRYLCREEM.

GARD Liquid Hairdressing, on the other hand is a product extension of GARD Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, made by Colgate-Palmolive. It was introduced in the Philippines in the mid 1970s, thanks to a commercial that featured a character called “Charlieng Balakubak” (Dandruff Charlie), portrayed by Ramon Roco. It was thought that by riding on GARD’s strong “hair” equity, the liquid hairdressing product would be destined for success.

These 2 ads of BRYLCREEM and GARD have uncanny similarities, looking almost like they were created by one art director, working in one ad agency, to wit:

·         Both print ads came in what they call then as “plus one color”ad—BRYLCREEM had plus Blue, while GARD had plus Red.

·         The additional colors were applied on both the product shots (which, by the way, were both line drawings)  and the brand name.

·         Both employed head shots of male models (GARD’s model—Aldie Anido (+)—had a higher popularity quotient though).

·         Both ads appeared on the same magazine (Woman’s Home Companion) as Full Page Ads, and both came out in 1978.

It’s a different story when talking about product longevity. The similarities end here. That’s because, today, BRYLCREEM Hairdressing is still very much around after 95 years, while GARD Liquid Hairdressing floundered in the market until its extinction.

415. Is That Who I Think She Is? MARICEL SORIANO for NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD, 1974

NEWTON COCO-SPREAD, 1974

 Newton Food Products Mfg. Co., Inc. is synonymous with bottled tropical fruits like kaong,  which were staple “halo-halo” ingredients, It was founded back in 1958, and since then has expanded its product lines to processed agricultural and fruit products, both fresh and processed, sauces, snack foods and noodles.

But back in 1974, the company forayed intro spreads with the launch of NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD. The spread is unlike any other spread; it was made from coconut milk, sugar, eggs, dairy milk, and butter, At first, NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD looks like mayonnaise as it can be used as a dressing for salads, but the rich cream can also be used as a topping for ice cream and for sandwiches.

When launched in 1974, the color ads featured a pert and pretty 9 year old kid model by the name of Maria Cecilia Dador Soriano. She would go on to become one of the biggest showbiz stars of 1990s, as MARICEL SORIANO, known by her moniker “The Diamond Star”.

As a  child actress, Maricel Soriano became nationally famous for her role as Shirley, the daughter of Dolphy and Nida Blanca, in the long-running TV hit series “John en Marsha”, which aired over Radio Philippines Network (RPN) from May 1973 to July 30, 1990. A spin-off from the series, “John en Shirley”, aired on ABS-CBN in 2006 with Dolphy and Maricel reprising their roles from the original series.

She would gain greater fame for her acting prowess and her trademark candidly frank way of expressing herself, leading to her being called “Taray Queen”. She is the second Filipino actress with the most best-actress wins this century across the five biggest film awards ceremony, with over 40 best-actress wins under her belt.

Soriano is also hailed as the “Drama Anthology Queen” for the success of her drama series — Maricel Regal Drama Special (1987-1990) and The Maricel Drama Special (1990-1997).

 As a topnotch commercial model, Soriano has endorsed blue-chip brands like Globe, McDonald’s, Jollibee, Modess, Green Cross Alcohol & Soap, Whisper, Alaska, Globe, Swift products, Loviscol, Mr. Clean, Breeze, Minola, Fiesta Spaghetti, Golden Fiesta Cooking Oil, Aji Ginisa, Vaseline shampoo, Argentina Corned Beef, Libby's, Ever Gotesco, Quick Chow Noodles, among others.

Previously married to Edu Manzano, Soriano has two sons, Marren and Sebastien. Maricel Soriano continues to be active in the entertainment industry, especially on TV, today.

As to Newton Food Products, it continues to be in operation to this day, with popular “chichirya” products as La-La Fish Crackers, Clubee Corn Snack Chips, and Nic-Nac Shrimp Crackers.

 SOURCES:

Maricel Soriano photo, Wikimedia commons

Maricel Soriano info: Wikimedia

Newton Food Products logo: Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers

414. FIGHTER CIGARETTES of La Perla Cigar & Cigarette Factory, Inc. 1950s Ads

Gen.DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, Freedom Fighter,  in a 1957 FIGHTER Ad,

 La Perla Cigar and Cigarette Factory Inc., was a  domestic corporation engaged in the manufacture of cigars and cigarettes, based in Parañaque, Rizal. It was founded by Don Cheng Tsai in 1946, who started producing cigarettes in a rented building. It was later headed by son, Johnny Cheng Ching Chuan.

FIGHTER Label. Photo: Pinoy Kollektor
Edward Delos Santos

In its time, it was the largest manufacturer of top quality cigarette brands in the country, made from imported tobacco  in the mid 1950s. It had a separate plant that manufactured Golden Coin Cigarettes, and early bestseller, in Pasay City. The Sport brand was made in the Parañaque plant, which also housed not only the factories and their modern machines, but also its giant warehouse, and  executive offices.

Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections.
THE WORLD-FAMOUS HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS AT
LA PERLA FACTORY, PARANAQUE, 1952.

One other brand that was well-advertised nationally in the 1950s was FIGHTER Cigarettes. It was made from imported tobacco and became one of its leading brands, leading the company to claim that FIGHTER was “the people’s favorite”.

NO DUST, NO DIRT...FIGHTER PRINT AD, 1959

In the post-war years, the company had the audacity to use the image of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the pipe-smoking liberator of the Philippines, in its ads. FIGHTER Cigarettes disappeared from the market in the 1960s, when U.S. brands of cigarettes found favor as “colonial mentality” shifted Filipino’s cigarette taste for Western brands.