421. For a cleaner, neater, fresher look! VITALIS SOLID BRILLIANTINE, 1957

VITALIS SOLID BRILLIATINE PRINT AD, 1957

Old school barber shops are becoming trendier these days—specializing in timeless haircuts styles done in the old fashioned way: pompadours, fades, tapers, bowl cut, crew cut, French crop, side part and slick backs. Suddenly, more male hair care products in vintage-style packaging are appearing in the market to appeal to this fresher, neater styles of the past.

 One such stuff men put on their hair as part of their grroming regimen during the Magsaysay years was VITALIS SOLID BRILLIANTINE., made by Metro Laboratories Inc., under license from Bristol-Myers Co., New York, U.S. VITALIS was originally a hair tonic brand that was produced in the 1940s, but since hair lotion was not popular in the local market, the VITALIS name was appended to a pomade brand that were more in use by Filipino menfolk. When launched, VITALIS was touted as the most exciting hair preparation since the ordinary pomade—holding hair better, thus keeping a man well-groomed all day.

Even the name VITALIS, however, could not hold the competitors at bay—like Vaseline and Brylcreem. Besides, there were cheaper pomades entrenched in the market—X-7 , Black Panther, Robin Hood, Three Flowers. The VITALIS brand still exists in the online market as VITALIS Hair Tonic, and is produced today by Idelle Labs in the U.S.

352. Pitoy Moreno, "Asia's Fashion Czar" for BAN ANTI-PERSPIRANT, 1974

JOSE 'PITOY' MORENO FOR BAN ANTIPERSPIRANTS, 1974

BAN ROLL-ON DEODORANT was a deodorant brand developed by Bristol Myers Co., that was launched with a revolutionary packaging—a rol-on dispense. Bristol-Myers had acquired the makers of Mum deodorant--Mum Manufacturing Co.—and had wanted to add an antiperspirant brand to its product line.

The result was an effective antiperspirant packaged in a dispenser modeled on the ball-point pen mechanism that was earier desined by employee Helen Leah Diserens (1919-2008). It came out under the name Mum Rolette in 1952, but problems with the applicator caused it to be removed from the market. 

After extensive product and packaging improvement, the anti-perspirant was reintroduced in the U.S. as BAN ROLL-ON in 1955, with massive advertising and marketing support for its national roll-out.

It would take almost 2 decades before BAN ROLL-ON was introduced in the Philippines, and the fashionable ads made use of the “fashion czar of Asia”—Jose “Pitoy” Moreno as an endorser, supported by the appearance of top models Ping Valencia and Eva Reyes, also Miss Republic of the Philippines-World 1972.

The connection between body odor and fashion was explained in the copy:“Perspiration marks can ruin even the most fashionable look…BAN stops perspiration effectively---no sweat to ruin your style”.

PITOY MORENO / PING VALENCIA, BAN ROLL-ON AD, 1974

The uppity-looking ads complemented the premium price of BAN, which, aside from the Roll-On, included  a Dry BAN Cream. To underscore the importance of its flagship product, the campaign ended with the tagline “BAN. America’s No. 1 Roll-On Antiperspirant”, to appeal to the target’s sense of colonial mentality.

PITOY MORENO / EVA REYES, BAN ROLL-ON AD, 1974

BAN slipped into obscurity towards the end of the 70s decade, and the BAN products available in the market today are made by Kao Brands Co. As for Pitoy Moreno, he was accorded a National Artist Award by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, only to be revoked by the Supreme Court in 2013 after finding that it had been given without due process as stipulated by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

PITOY MORENO / EVA REYES, BAN ROLL-ON AD, 1975

SOURCES: 

Ban website: https://www.bandeodorant.com/en-us/

Deodorant History and its invention: http://omenter.com/deodorant-history/#:~:text=The%20small%20company%20was%20bought,the%20name%20Ban%20Roll%2DOn.

Pitoy Moreno, Wikimedia.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitoy_Moreno

295. Brand Stories: MUM, The First Commercial Deodorant Brand, Print Ads 1959-1975

MUM, the 1st Commercial Deodorant Brand in the World, 1888

.The first commercial deodorant brand in the world is MUM Cream Deodorant, developed and created in Philadelphia back in 1888. It was a barrier-breaking personal hygiene product made with zinc compound, an active ingredient which chemically neutralizes odoriferous compounds and inhibits bacterial growth in a non-irritating way.

MUM "OUGHT TO BE TOLD" Campaign, 1959

The brand name "mum" means "to keep silent" as in the popular phrase and early on, it was sold in white, shallow cream jars. The user was advised to “apply MUM on underarms or other skin areas. For best results, smooth on gently until it disappears. Harmless to clothing and skin—can be used after shaving.Bristol-Myers bought the small company in 1931, and took MUM to greater heights and international popularity. 

MUM,"SHE FEELS CONFIDENT", 1960

MUM Cream Deodorant was launched in the Philippines towards the end of the 1950s, exclusively distributed by the Edward Keller  Co. & Ltd. with offices in Juan Luna St., Binondo. Advertising played aan integral part of its Philippine marketing, as the brand was actively advertising in the 1920s-40s.

 

MUM "Make Everybody Glad to See You", 1961

The first hand-illustrated print ads of MUM Cream Deodorant began appearing on the widely read Sunday Times Magazine in late 50s, primarily targeted to adult women and secondarily,  men. The print ad series utilized the original campaign theme “She/He ought to be told..”.

MUM ROLLETTE, 1959

In 1952, Bristol-Myers originated a roll-on applicator with deodorant lotion, sold under the brand name BAN Roll-On, available in 1954.  The same roll-on product was introduced in the Philippines as MUM Rollette, and the new “no mess, no drip, no waste” packaging was advertised locally in 1959 to wide consumer acclaim.

In no time at all, MUM was enjoying wide popularity in the country, challenged by a few deodorants like the fast-rising VETO and Odor-O-No. MUM was available in the Philippines throughout the 60s and 70s, and had its share of memorable TV advertising, one of which was the “MUM-yayakap” (“Hugger”) campaign. 

YOUNG LORNA TOLENTINO, FOR MUM, 1975

The rise of new deodorant aerosols, and alternative body sprays catering to the young market (Baan, Right  Guard, Impulse) , pushed MUM away from the shelves, as held an image as a feminine brand for adult women.  Tactical campaigns were launched to make MUM more appealing to the youth, thru redesign of the packaging and logo, and mother-daughter advertising.  By the 1980s, MUM was on its way out of the Philippine market until it disappeared altogether.

 In 2004, Doetsch Grether AG  (Pharma/ OTC/ Consumer Care) took over the license for  MUM and now market the brand for for Europe,  Middle East and 2017, Australia and New Zealand. In U.K. MUM is made by Dendron Ltd,under license from Procter & Gamble.

SOURCES:

Doetsch Grether AG , https://www.doetschgrether.ch/en/brands/m_53

Dendron Ltd. :https://www.mumdeo.co.uk/

MUM,Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mum_(deodorant)

The Sunday Times Magazine