296. BREACOL with XYLOPOL: Stops Cough Faster…Fastest! Print Ads 1957-1969

BREACOL WITH XYLOPOL, 1960 Ad

One of the leading cough medicines that enjoyed nationwide success in the 1950s  is BREACOL with XYLOPOL. It was a product of Sterling Drug, an American global pharmaceutical company before it merged with Winthrop-Stearns,Inc. It had performed exceedingly well in Latin American countries, and so, when it was time for BREACOL to be rolled out in Asia, the company chose to launch it in the Philippines in the mid 1950s, and later, in Singapore 

BREACOL, 1957 Ad

BREACOL with XYLOPOL claims to stop cough faster, in 5 ways: it destroys germs, soothes irritation, stops throat tickle, loosens phlegm and medicates deeply. Later, the “ideal cough remedy for the whole family”. In the days before the ad industry had a regulatory board, BREACOL even went for the superlative, by claiming that it “Stops Coughs Fastest”. 

BREACOL, 1958, 1959 "HIS 'n HERS" Ads

The first BREACOL ads had copy that were direct lifts from foreign ads, and had clip-art illustrations of foreign-looking models. For better appeal, spot color (Red) was added to the prints ads. Photography was rarely used.  For over a decade, BREACOL was a leading presence in the cough market, challenged by Vick Chemical Company, which was already I the market at just about the same time with its Vicks Cough Drops. In time, Vicks Cough Syrup was introduced as well, which was heavily pushed in print and the rising radio medium. 

IDEAL FAMILY COUGH REMEDY AD, 1960

BREACOL could not simply compete with the resources of Vicks (marketing giant Procter and Gamble took over it) as the latter cornered the cough and cold market with such products as Vaporub, Inhaler, cold tablet, and nasal drops.

STOPS COUGH FASTEST! 1961 BREACOL AD

After several years,  XYLOPOL seemed like old news. In 1969 BREACOL reformulated and rebranded itself as DEXTRO-BREACOL with DXM, in reference to the Dextromethorpan which suppresses the signals in the brain that trigger cough reflex. It was hardly a unique ingredient, as most cough syrups were also dextropmethorpan and guaifenesin-based. 

DEXTRO-BREACOL REFORMULATED, 1969

Still, BREACOL plodded on, supported by core loyalists who remember the 50s brand fondly. Happily the brand name is still around today, through the Singapore-based  Invida, a specialty pharma company formed by a joint venture between Quintiles, Temasek and Zuellig. Invida commercializes  different pharmaceutical products of superior quality and markets them worldwide. Invida counts BREACOL as one such proven brand.

SOURCE:

Sterling Drug: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_Drug

290. Is That Who I Think He Is? YVES DIGNADICE for OMEGA PAIN KILLER

"Mr. Adonis of PBA", YVES DIGNADICE for Omega Pain Killer, 1989

One of the leading  manufacturers and distributors of various pharmaceutical and consumer products in the country today is the Cebu-based International Pharmaceuticals, Inc. It was founded by the Wong brothers in 1959:  George, Sixto, Sergio, David Sr., and Pio Sr., with the launch of a product that would become a byword in body aches and pain relief: OMEGA EFFICASCENT OIL.

Aggressive salesmanship and effective door-to-door marketing were key factors that drove OMEGA EFFICASCENT OIL, and by the  mid 1960s, it revitalized its market standing with advertising, using strip ads in local magazines. In 1968, the greaseless version was introduced, which solidified the brand’s national popularity that went on through the 80s.

 Body aches and pains like sprain, lumbago,  cramps, muscle spasms, often happen after strenuous work or sports—and basketball was the perfect contact sport where these are manifested. Besides, basketball-crazy Philippines never ran out of court heroes who can endorse the brand. In 1989, a new campaign was launched by OMEGA EFFICASCENT OIL, using a popular cager at the peak of his career—YVES DIGNADICE, who, with his prowess in the court and his dashing good looks, gained considerable female fandom earning the monicker “Mr. Adonis of PBA”.

 Iloilo-born Yves Arones Dignadice (b. 18 Dec. 1964) was spotted playing in the Palarong Pambansa as a member of the Western Visayan basketball contingent. This led to his being recruited for La Salle where made a good showing at the first ever PABL tournament.  In 1984, he made the national team to the Asian Youth tournament in Seoul, Korea, where the country placed third.

 Dignadice’s  professional  career history included stints with l 1984-1985    Northern Consolidated Cement (1984-85), San Miguel Beermen (1986-1998), and barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2000). He was such an excellent defense player that he earned three All-Star invites and paved the way to his inclusion to the first ever national basketball team composed of PBA players in 1990 that won Silver in the Asian Games.

 It was the mid 1980s that were truly  his prime years—he became several times a member of the national team that played and won in the 1984 SEA Games, 1985 FIBA Asia Championship (Gold) , 1985 FIB World Championshipa and 1985 Jones Cup (Gold).

 As an established basketball star, Dignadice  became an endorser of OMEGA EFFICASCENT OIL in 1989. By then, popular basketball personalities--like Jaworski, Lastimosa, Codinera, and Patrimonio--were doing commercials for their pulling power, and Dignadice found himself doing one too for OMEGA. People still remember his after-game massage scene where he is shown shirtless--  a sure money shot for the country’s bestselling liniment.

 After his retirement, Dignadice migrated to the US with wife Jennifer, a nurse, along with daughters Adrianne, 12, and Sophia, herself, a skilled basketball player. Eldest son Bryce, 24, stays in Manila. He still plays basketball—in PBA reunion games, Fil-Am leagues, while coaching  top girls basketball teams. His Adonis days may be over, but his basketball skills continue to pay off—handsomely.

Where is He Now? UPDATE ON YVES DIGNADICE

Source: PH Sports Bureau

After his retirement, Dignadice migrated to the US with wife Jennifer, a nurse, along with daughters Adrianne, 12, and Sophia, herself, a skilled basketball player. Eldest son Bryce, 24, stays in Manila. He still plays basketball—in PBA reunion games, Fil-Am leagues, while coaching  top girls basketball teams. His Adonis days may be over, but his basketball skills continue to pay off—handsomely.

 SOURCES:

Ph Sports Bureau, YVES DIGNADICE STORY | Ang PBA Player Na NAMAMARIL Sa Court,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4Xt3c2OS0, uploaded 15 April 2020. Accessed 4 Oct. 2020

Wikipedia: Yves Dignadice

International Pharmaceuticals Inc. website: https://ipi.ph/

238. Brand Stories: BIODERM OF International Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1962-68.

EARLY BIODERM AD, 1962

The very popular BIODERM Ointment, used in the treatment of skin ailments and infection was a product of the Wong Brothers, founders of the International Pharmaceuticals, Inc, (IPI) in Cebu. In 1959, The Wong brothers--George., Pio Sr., David Sr., Sergio,  and Sixto—bought the efficascent formula first developed by Miguel Chiong known as “Efficol” , giving them the right to manufacture the product in their own laboratory that would become IPI. Through door-to-door marketing and effective sales push, Efficascent Oil, as the product was now branded, became a national success.

This led IPI to develop more products using their own formula, and in 1961, the company came up wirh Dr.Wong’s BIODERM Ointment in tins.

 

BIODERM PRINT ADS, 1967

BIODERM Ointment contains antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal ingredients beneficial in the treatment of ringworm, eczema, blackheads, pimples, furunculosis, acne, skin itch, white spots (ap-ap), athlete’s foot, hand itch, barber’s itch, insect bites and other skin irritations on the head and on the body. It is also effective for prickly heat, dhobie itch, mange, Hong Kong foot, and itching dandruff.

It was first advertised in 1962 as Dr. Wong’s BIODERM—Effective Treatment for Skin Ailments. BIODERM, with its modern image and formulation, gave Katialis, a leading cream for various skin conditions for decades, a stiff competition, becoming another success.

 

BIODERM PRINT AD, 1968

BIODERM was actively advertised through the 60s, and in the succeeding decades, and these early ads show how its advertising, marketing and pomotions evolved. Eventually, with the brand’s success, a BIODERM germicidal soap was developed, which also gained following.

Today, these two BIODERM products are still going strong in the market. BIODERM has helped grow IPI, which allowed it to expand its portfolio to include not just liniments, consumer health products, home care, food supplements, veteriany products, medical equipment and pesticides.