WEAR FRESHNESS THIS SUMMER! Shower to Shower Omnibus Ad, 1980
For more than 100 years, since 1893, health product giant
Johnson and Johnson has dominated the profitable talcum powder market beginning
with Johnson’s Baby Powder. Few products
have developed the longevity of use that baby powder has his product became a
global icon brand and soon, J&J began expanding to other talcum brands that
were not just meant for babies’ bottom.
In 1972, J&J launched a deorodizing talcum brand meant
to be used after showering called SHOWER
TO SHOWER. One of its most popular 70s campaign theme in the U.S. was the
jingle-based “A sprinkle a day, helps keep the odor away”.
Eight years later, the product was launched in the
Philippine market by J&J Phils., and, together with its ad agency, developed a short-lived SHOWER TO SHOWER campaign, that,
nevertheless surprised its audience.
The“Wear Freshness this Summer” campaign featured half-naked
models in all shapes and sizes, wearing nothing but a long, and strategically
placed towel, presumably after a shower. One of the models in the omnibus ad
was even Ace Compton’s very own producer, Dulce Aristorenas. For the next few
years, SHOWER TO SHOWER, with ots catchy jingle, help people to stay dry, to
feel fresh, and to be pampered.
J &J held on to SHOWER
TO SHOWER for fifty years before it was sold to Valeant Pharmaceuticals in
2012.
In recent years, however, health issues about talcum powder
have risen sharply. A commonplace practice for decades, women have used talcum
powder and talc-based products in their genital area which indicates the
correlation to the deadly cancer.
SHOWER TO SHOWER
is still being sold in Asia—the Philippines included—today. But in May of 2020,
Johnson & Johnson quietly announced that it would stop selling all
talc-based products—including SHOWER TO
SHOWER—in the United States.
JBaby Powder, featured in a McCann worldwide report.
By the 1990s, the Johnson’s
BABY POWDER thematic campaign “Ikaw Lamang, Wala nang Iba”, was still going
on strong, after over a decade of being on air. It had been created back in
1979-80 by McCann Creative Director Tessie Tomas (yes, the much awarded
actress-comedienne!), for J&J Baby Care Products Division.
Every year, the Johnson’s
BABY POWDER campaign was simply refreshed with new situations, a new
storyline, and a new jingle—but the core theme was always the same—only Johnson’s
will do, nothing else.
WATCH Johnson's BABY POWDER "Duyan"TV Here:
In 1995, the dedicated J&J creative team of McCann-Erickson Phils. developed a commercial that only the constant in this world is a mother's pure love. To show a growing baby raised by a mother's special care, a native rocking cradle ("duyan") was used as a transition device. As the infant swings out of the frame, the cradle returns showing the infant growing older with each swing. Through all these years of care, Johnson's BABY POWDER has always been there by their side.
Later, another long commercial was produced that same year that paid homage to the love, sacrifices and irreplaceable roles of mothers. The TV ad used the haunting song of National Artist for music, Lucio San Pedro to provide the soundtrack. The plaintive lyrics of the song “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan” was sung by a boys choir, juxtaposed with images of mothers rocking their babies to sleep in their cribs, cradle and ‘duyan’.
WATCH Johnson's BABY POWDER "Ugoy ng Dyan" here:
In August 2022, Johnson & Johnson announced that it will
stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023, more than two years after
it ended U.S. sales of a product that drew thousands of consumer safety
lawsuits. Demand had apparently fallen in the wake of what it called
“misinformation” about the product's safety. Cornstarch will replace the talc
as its main ingredient.
One thing for sure, loyal consumers will find it hard to
forget Johnson’s BABY POWDER, for it
has been their one true choice for generations, a brand so loved that no other
brand will do—“Ikaw lamang, wala ng iba!”.
MODESS Sanitary Napkins was the result of a joint project
of Johnson & Johnson Phils. and Metro Drug Corp., an alliance that aimed to
produce a viable, attractively priced sanitary protection pads. The company
they formed was called Philippine Medical Products (PMP) which manufactured the
personal care product, MODESS.
The product concept itself was not conceived locally, but
the subsequent improvements and innovations were led and developed by a team
from J&J Phils. which enabled MODESS to achieve a high level of success in
the Asian region.
But when it was officially launched in 1962, MODESS
floundered, due to poor distribution and absence of advertising.The joint venture ended and PMP was taken
over by the local J&J company in 1964.
When MODESSwas
finally advertised, its advertising agency, Ace-Compton, created some of the
more memorable ads that began in 1969 with the “Dare Wear White” campaign. The
campaign dares women to wear white during their period, as a test of the
product’s new feature—“Blu Plasti-Shield” to absorb and protect.
PROTECTS AS IT ABSORBS, 1964
Parallel campaigns were also undertaken to converting traditional
“pasador” (cloth pads) users into modern sanitary pad users. The TVC, which
featured Gloria Sevilla and teen daughter Nadja Veloso, pointed out the many inconveniences of using cloth
pasadors versus using MODESS. “Laba..Kula…Plantsa---hassle!”, complains the
teener. However, instead of shifting to MODESS, the market shifted to cheaper pads.
With the business in doldrums, the head office pondered over the possibility ofclosing the feminine
protection line of J&J. But the local organization persevered and
recommended to put up a line of sanitary napkinsmade with locally-produced “non-woven” raw
materials.
PROTECTED BY MODESS, 1966 AD.
This proposal was given a go-signal, thusJ&J Phils. became the first affiliate in
Asia to produce its own non-woven material requirements (which gave a cooler
feeling unlike the “hot” Plasti-Shield of MODESS), which also made pads more affordable.
J&J introduced the product under the STAYFREE brand
in 1975. A year later, a locally-developed beltless version of the MODESS was
launched. These two products were well-received by the market and eventually
became market leaders.
DARE WEAR WHITE SERIES, 1969
In a casting coup, J&J got reigning superstar Nora
Aunor to appear in a new Beltless MODESS campaign that kept the “dare wear
white” execution. In the end shot of the popular TVC, Aunor, resplendent in a
white wedding gown, glances at her behind and say “ Sa MODESS ko lang ibibigay
ang aking matamis na…OO”.
The Philippine-developed MODESS Beltless Sanitary napkin
even went on to being successfully launched in other Asian countries. Today,
MODESS has evolved further to offer a range of sanitary protection that caters
to specific needs, with a younger target audience in mind.
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, Rosa Rosal with only daughter, Toni Rose Gayda.
Rosa Rosal
(born as Florence Lansang Danon on 16 Oct. 1931) was one of the prized stars of
LVN Pictures. She often assumed the roles of femme fatales, sexy vixens,
wayward girls (but with a heart of gold) and a daring, seductive siren.
She was only 15 when she appeared in her first movie, “Fort
Santiago (1946) by the Nolasco Brothers Studio. Her performance impressed the
LVN bosses who got herand transformed
her into a fine actress in such classics as Biyaya
ng Lupa (1959) and Anak Dalita (1956).
She won the FAMAS Best Actress for Sonny
Boy in 1955.
ROSA ROSAL, Early CAMAY GIRL. Print Ad, 1953.
Offscreen, Rosa
Rosal led a quiet , purposeful life. She joined the Philippine National Red
Cross in 1950 and has actively promoted blood donation though the years. She
also engaged in charitable and humanitarian work on TV (Damayan, Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko) that won for her the ramon Magsaysay
Award in 1999.
As such, she became a role model and early in her career,
she was chosen to be one of the 1950s CAMAY
Girls, that included such legendary screen beauties like Norma Blancaflor,
Gloria Romero, Nida Blanca, Nenita Cardenas, and Charito Solis.
ROSA ROSAL, for GENTLE Fine Fabric Deteregent, 1976.
In the 70s decade, Rosal became
active on television, and did dramas and sitcms like “Yan Ang Misis Ko”, opposite Ronald Remy.She also did one movie in 1976,”Sakada”, directed by Behn Cervantes,
that was banned by the Marcos government. Because of her familiarity to TV audiences, Rosal was persuaded to appear in a commercial
for GENTLE Fine Fabric Detergent.
Rosal’s daughter
with American pilot Walter Gayda whom she married in 1957, alo had a successful
run as a showbiz personality. Toni Rose
Gayda became a sought-after model, and was a CAMAY Girl, like her mom.She did at least ne campaign for JOHNSON’S
BABY LOTION, in 1979, with Ace Compton Advertising, Inc.
TONI ROSE GAYDA, for Johnson's Baby Lotion, 1979.
Toni Rose Gayda, later found fame as a
TV host of Eat Bulaga (1996-2014),
following her stint in Student Canteen
and Lunch Date. Gayda presently co-
hosts of A Song Of Praise MusicFestival on UNTV,gospel music TV program.
Johnson & Johnson, has an early reputation as a “baby
company”, and as such, its line of products all had common characteristics:
Mildness, Safety and Effectiveness. This has always been true since J&J
first introduced Johnson’s Baby Powder in 1894. Johnson’s Baby Oil, on the
other hand was introduced in the 1930s.
Johnson’s BABY SOAP first appeared in a 1921 "Baby Gift Box" that contained small
packages of Baby Powder, Baby Cream and Baby Soap and "was designed as a
small gift that people could take when visiting a family with a new baby"
When Johnson & Johnson’s started its Philippine
operations in 1956, it would take more than 20 years before Johnson’s BABY SOAP was launched.
Naturally, the first ad were directed towards the care of babies. Eventually,
the usage was expanded to ther members of the family.
In 1981, the “Baby Face” campaign was launched for
Johnson’s Baby Soap, which positions it as an ideal sap for “baby face people”—those
with fresh-looking skin, but sensitive as a baby’s.
The Johnson’s BABY
SOAP TVC utilized a 1926 song entitled, “Baby Face” that was first used in
a 1933 movie, “Baby Face” , and which has been re-recorded many times. These 3
ads on this spread constituted the “Baby Face” print series.
Johnson’s BABY
SOAPis still available today in the
Philippine market.
MARGIE MORAN and the secret of her Miss Universe skin. Print ad, 1978.
It’s Miss Universe season once again, and while the
beauties in Bangkok are deep into their activities, we recall our country’s 2ndMiss Universe winner, Maria Margarita 'Margie' Roxas Moran, who won her title in Athens,
Greece in 1973, and which paved the way for a short showbiz career.
After her
reign, Moran was wooed by producers and appeared in a movie, “Oh, Margie Oh!’
, with leading man Victor Laurel, but which unfortunately was panned by critics
and bombed at the box office.
Moran also had a brief stint in advertising as a
commercial model post-Miss Universe, but surprisingly, they were few and far
between. She did at least one Magnolia Yoghourt print ad in 1974, and would do
a campaign for Johnson’s BABY OIL,in
1978, which rendered her more visible to a wider Filipino audience.
OH, MARGIE. The print ad counterpart of the Johnson's Baby Oil campaign, 1978
The TVC starts with the premise that a beauty queen uses
so many products for her beauty rituals. Moran reveals she only needs Johnson’s
BABY OIL to remove make-up, moisturize and keep her beauty queen skin aglow.
The campaign created by Ace-Compton (now Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi) Advertising
Inc., was launched in 1978.
MARGIE MORAN, at a recent CCP event, 2018, with blogger
Moran was married to Cong. Tony R. Floirendo, Jr. of
Davao Del Norte, with whom she has 2 daughters, Monica Danielle and Gabrielle
Antoinette. She served as president of Ballet Philippines, and is currently the
chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Johnson & Johnson has been a long-standing client of
Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi (formerly Ace Compton) since 1959, with the Personal
Products as well as the Feminine Care line as its key assignments. 1990 marked
the year that J&J forayed into the Cosmetics field, targeting Teens as it’s
point-of-market entry.
That year, J&J Philippines launched its JOHNSON’S FACE POWDER, which is
actually a pressed powder version of one of its flagship products, Johnson’s
Baby Powder. That became the take-off point to communicate the face powder’s
merits and benefits to a new market. After all, Johnson’s Baby Powder had been
in the Philippines for over 4 decades and had become a staple product for
Filipino babies.
But, since the baby had grown older, shouldn’t there be a
new product befitting her new stage in life? Thus—JOHNSON’S FACE POWDER.
The Saatchi creatives developed a campaign theme that
would provide product continuity for Johnson’s powder products. This was
articulated in the memorable campaign line—“because
the Baby is now a Lady”.
The TV and Press campaign idea seemed simple enough—it starts
with a close-up of a Baby being splashed
with Johnson’s Baby Powder , followed by
images of the baby growing older, in a series of smooth dissolves, literally
growing before the viewer’s eyes. The last fade-in reveals the refreshingly
beautiful face of a teen-age girl, with
the JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER product
shot appearing beside her. As we follow the girl’s growing up process, the
supers gently come in: “because the baby, is now a lady—JOHNSON’ FACE POWDER”.
It was a simple, no-frills commercial, but with a powerful
visual idea that relied on casting the right models. The search was on for 4
talents who would credibly portray different stages of growth—from a Baby, to a
Moppet, a pre-Teen, and finally, to a Teen beauty.
The exhaustive quest ended
with the casting of four different models who appeared in a series of prints
ads that ran on consecutive pages of a magazine. The same models also appeared
in the launch TV commercial that would proved to be so successful, that it paved
the way for the launch of a new, major teen line –JOHNSON’S TEEN ESSENTIALS.
But.. whatever happened to the 4 models in the commercial? We wonder!
CREDITS: ADVERTISER: Johnson & Johnson Phils. Inc. PRODUCT: Johnson's Face Powder AGENCY: Ace-Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jimmy F. Santiago COPYWRITER: Merlee Jayme ART DIRECTOR: Melvin M. Mangada CASTER: Flor Salanga
It was only in
1956 that the American pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson, set up its
Philippine office, but years before that, its flagship product, JOHNSON’S BABY
POWDER was already enjoying the good patronage of Filipino mother and their
babies.
It was this product that shifted the reputation of
Johnson & Johnson from a medical company to a “baby company”.
Invented in 1893, JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER was made from
Italian talc that had a more soothing effect than the plasters J&J
manufactured earlier. Talc also provided effective relief from diaper rash. The
product was a success and was launched in the market the following year.
JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER , in the familiar tin packaging, was
initially imported and sold by JOHNSON’s BABY POWDER was known locally as “Talco Johnson”.
Early Johnson's Baby Powder Ad, 1953
Availability of the product improved when the local
J&J office on Dasmariñas St. took over the distribution of the U.S.-made
Johnson’s product. Demand was so great that J&J contracted a local trading
firm, Shiro, to manufacture JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER locally, in limited supply
(J&J would soon set up its manufacturing plant in Pasig).
JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER Ad, 1958.
Marketing efforts were also stepped up, and J&J
turned to professional advertising to support the lead brand. In the next
couple of years, JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER was promoted solely for baby’s use—for
the effective protection of his delicate skin against rashes and chafing.
JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER Ad, 1959.
Though
the slogan “Best for Baby. Best for You” appeared in 1959 ads, the message
continue to focus on babies’ complexion.
JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER Ad, 1961.
For adults, Johnson’s also launched a medicated powder
that was advertised in the early 1960s, but this did not catch on.
A PAIR OF JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER 'Mom & Das" ads. 1964.
It was not until 1964 that an attempt to expand its usage
to adults was made in subsequent campaigns with reference to JOHNSON’ S BABY
POWDER’s gentleness as “best for baby, for you”.
JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER Ad, 1968.
It would only be later, in the 70s and 80s, that ads
targetting specific audiences i.e. other than babies-- like adults and
youths—were produced to create broader appeal, by taking out the “baby-ness”
from JOHNSON’S BABY POWDER.
"Ikaw Lamang, Wala ng Iba" was one such campaign that was created by agency McCann-Erickson in the 1980s, which featured the product being used by teens.
GLORIA ROMERO, at the peak of her career, with a copy of her Camay Print Ad, 1955.
One of the busiest commercial models in the early to mid
1950s was the beautiful GLORIA ROMERO (born Gloria Galla. 16 Dec. 1933, in
Denver, Colorado to Filipino Pedro Galla and American Mary Borrego). She was
only four when she returned to the Philippines, settling in Mabini,Pangasinan—her
father’s hometown. The war caught up with the family, so the Gallas decided to
stay here.
GLORIA ROMERO, for CAMAY BEAUTY SOAP, 1955
She tried her luck in showbiz in 1950 playing bit roles for
several production outfits, but it was Sampaguita Pictures that noticed her and
who gave her the screen name ‘Gloria Romero’ (after Eddie Romero, who directed
her in her early 1951 movie,”Kasintahan sa Pangarap”.
INSTANT SANKA COFFEE, Print Ad, 1957
Romero was cast in
Monghita (1952), her first lead role, but it was her appearance in Dalagang
Ilocana (1954) that gave her a FAMAS Best Actress—and a place in the top list
of Philippine film superstars.
SWANS DOWN CAKE FLOUR, Print Ad, 1957
The young ingénue was not only kept occupied filming
pictures, but also had her hands full doing pictorial for a variety of
products. She was the perfect endorser as she had a spotless image (she even
won the role of the Virgin Mary in ‘Martir sa Golgotha”, a 1954 Lenten movie),
her deportment and work ethics, of the highest standards. After all, Romero was
trained by the Sampaguita bosses themselves—taking her on trips abroad, providing
her wardrobe and giving her lessons in social etiquette.
CALUMET BAKING POWDER, Print Ad. 1953.
Her early endorsements include leading beauty and personal
products as well as consumer goods. Most of her output were Print Ads, as
Television was still at its infancy stage at that time. Romero was especially known for being a Camay Girl and a Coca Cola presenter.
JOHNSON'S MEDICATED TALCUM POWDER, Print Ad, 1961
In the 70s, she was cast in “King and I” TVC commercial for
Superwheel, a popular ad series based on parodies of historical characters. At
the 1988 Creative Guild Ad of the Year Awards, she romped off with the Best
Actress trophy for her “Manang Biday” Superwheel TV Commercial.
COCA COLA, Print Ad. 1956
Romero’s career spans over 60 years and she continues to be
active in movies and TV today. She has appeared in sitcoms like Palibhasa
Lalaki, "Richard Loves Lucy"
and in countless drama anthologies for GMA 7.Currently, Romero appears in “Juan
Happy Love Story”.
COCA COLA,Print Ad. 1956.
For her achievements, she received the first 2009 Lifetime
Achievement Award from MTRCB (Movies and Television Review and Classification
Board) Award, Huwarang Bituin Award from the 57th FAMAS Awards, and
named as one of the 13 "Movie Icons of Our Time".
