509. Procter & Gamble PMC's TIDE, "Tide Clean" Campaign, 1961

In 1961, TIDE embarked on a local campaign that was based on a formulaic P&G advertising strategy principle of re-setting the bar of laundry cleanliness, using “Tide Clean” as the new standard. This benefit is expressed in the selling line: “The cleanest clean is TIDE Clean”.

The campaign also featured a tried-and-tested “product demo”,  P& G copy jargon that visualizes the product superiority through a demonstration of its cleaning power—statically shown as a series of captioned inset pictures , so typical of their advertising in the 60s and 70s. 

A sub-text of “affordable cost” is embedded in the execution expressed thru an additional copy intended to reassure : “…and costs so little to use!”. P&G was often fond of cramming their advertising with many sub-messages and their agencies were challenged to think of ways to include these seamlessly in crafting the copy (think Mr. Clean’s “labadami, labango, labanayad’  Dari Crème’s “pinipili ng mapiling ina…at anak!).

To top it all—just to make sure the message is not lost on the mass market,  the TIDE Clean campaign, used all sorts of talents to represent a father, a mother, their kids, friends and a token grandparent, who appeared in their own individual colored print ad. 

Truly, this TIDE print campaign can be held up in a basic marketing class as a perfect example of P&G’s formula advertising, ticking all the boxes of how their product advertising should be done—this, from a company which “invented” brand management.

499. Choosy Moms with Choosy Kids Choose DARI CREME, 1984

"CHOOSY MOMS, CHOOSY KIDS", DARI CREME Print Ad, 1984 

Procter & Gamble prides itself as having started “brand management” in product marketing, and the pedigree of success across of its advertising across all brands proves that. The company even employed advertising “copy experts” who patrolled their international network for possible advertising approaches that can be adapted and applied to their other brands in need of promotions.

Such was the case of DARI CRÈME advertising, which was in need of revamping in the late 70s.  Launched in 1959, DARI CRÈME was one of the first products of Procter & Gamble PMC (now P&G Phils., Inc.). It was the first locally manufactured refrigerated margarine and was introduced as a local alternative to imported butter. All throughout the 1960s, DARI CRÈME consistently led the butter and margarine market, preferred for its more buttery taste, availability and price. 

P&G's "Adapt & Apply" practice resulted in a borrowed slogan for DARI CREME ad campaign.

In the late 1970s thru the early 80s, efforts were made to refresh DARI CRÈME advertising in the face of a growing competition that would come to include new Magnolia Butter and Buttercup. The inspiration for a new DARI CRÈME thematic campaign came from a Procter & Gamble product from the U.S.—JIF Peanut Butter. JIF’s success owes much to its advertising with a slogan “Choosy Mothers Choose JIF”, coined by its creative agency, Grey Advertising, in 1966. The campaign catapulted JIF past erstwhile leader Skippy to market leadership around the time of the peanut butter crisis of 1980.

The idea of having “discriminating or choosy mothers” when it comes to food for their children,  resonated with Filipino mothers—hence Ace-Compton, the local agency of DARI CRÈME localized the theme into “Pinipili ng mapiling ina”, that became the crux of the product TV ad series. The TVCs featured a mother showing another mother the difference the taste difference between DARI CRÈME and another unnamed brand, when slathered on a piece of bibingka, on a puto, ensyamada, etc.. The new campaign secured DARI CRÈME’s dominant position in the marketplace, and the commercials became very popular on TV.

 WATCH DARI CREME's "CHOOSY MOMS" TVC HERE

The campaign went a step further when a DARI CRÈME usage campaign was launched in 1984, but the slogan was not only converted into English, but was also extended to include discriminating kids. Hence, “Choosy moms with choosy kids choose DARI CRÈME” (Pinipili ng mapiling ina…at anak!). The campaign ran for many years, despite it being—well—a mouthful. But P&G didn’t mind, as the message came across well, and business resumed its brisk pace.

In a twist of irony, a decade after the “choosy moms” campaign, Magnolia Inc. (then known as Philippine Dairy Products Corp.) acquired DARI CRÈME from Procter & Gamble Philippines, ensuring the continuity of the much-loved, iconic brand—and even the “pinipili” slogan, that is still in use to this day.  

SOURCES:

Magnolia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_(Philippine_company)

JIF Peanut Butter: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364858362_Choosy_Mothers_Choose

DARI CREME TV Commercial, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Zd7ODZbXo, youtubevideo uploaded 2016, by Albert Marc Justine Carreon, 

432. Pilipino Advertising Klasiks (PILAK): CAMAY SOAP, “Ang Barko, Pres. Roosevelt” TVC, 1967

In 2002, the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4 A’s) chose 25 Best Ads out of 100 nominees. The nominees were culled from hundreds of commercials spanning 5 decades, and these went  through the gruelling scrutiny of 3 generations of creative minds and advertising practitioners, sieved through their stringent standards and critical sensibilities. The 100 nominees were later pruned to 40. 

CAMAY "Pres. Roosevelt", one of 25 PILAK Awardees

The final 25 merited the distinction of being called “PILAK: Pilipino Advertising Klasiks”. One of the 25 is the CAMAY SOAP commercial of Procter & Gamble PMC, produced by Ace Compton Advertising Inc. It created quite a stir in 1967 as the first commercial to be shot on board the  SS President Roosevelt American President Luxury Liner. The commercial was also unusually long (over a minute!), with a cast of mostly foreign talents—except the lead, Camay Girl TINA ARTILLAGA, one of the country’s top-ranked fashion models.

 WATCH THE 1967 CAMAY "Pres. Roosevelt Lines" TVC Here:

“Ang barko….President Roosevelt. Ang dilag…kahali-halina..”

Thus began the commercial where the creamy-complexioned Tina walks past male passengers on the ship, entrancing them with her “malinis, mala-kremang kutis”—repeated several times for emphasis! “Ang lahat ay napapalingon…” (everyone wants to take a look..) became a memorable line from the TVC , and was retained in future CAMAY commercials.

THE COUNTERPART PRINT AD OF CAMAY "Pres. Roosevelt" Campaign

Inexplicably, the print ad counterpart featured another model, but published in the same year. It had the feel as the commercial and even bears the logo of the American President Lines to lend further credence to the ad. 

TOP MODEL TINA ARTILLAGA AT HER PEAK

Camay Girl TINA ARTILLAGA modelled for Pitoy Moreno in his fashions shows abroad. In 1968, she travelled to Europe and walked the runways in Moreno’s creations, along with Maita Gomez, Cherrie Pie Villonco, Pearrie Arcache, Jean Margaret Lim, and Joji Felix Velarde. That same year, she joined Bb. Pilipinas and placed 4^th to winner Charina Zaragoza. She did a couple of movies in the mid 1970s like “Alas 5:00 ng Hapon, Gising Na Ang ga Angel”, “Hoy Mister, Ako ang Mrs. Mo”, “Sekretaryang Walang Silya” (1976) ,and  “Ako si Emma, Babae”, (1977)

 CREDITS:

AGENCY: ACE COMPTON ADVERTISING, INC

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: CONNIE REID / COPYWRITER: KEITH GAMBOA

DIRECTOR: TONY SMITH / PRODUCTION HOUSE: A.D. SMITH PRODUCTIONS

Many thanks to 4A's for the use of their youtube channel where many of these TV features were sourced.

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

383. CAMAY: Cheek-to-Cheek Softness Campaign, 1964

NEW CAMAY, for cheek-to-cheek softness! 1964

In 1964, CAMAY was relaunched to address the needs of a particular market segment—young, married women. A new, reformulated CAMAY was offered to them, promising only the softest, loveliest complexion—with an exclusive cold cream to soften skin.

To dimensionalize the softness promise, a child was included with the mother models—drawing parallels between their complexion. The first ads show skin-to-skin contact via a kiss---describing a supple and lovely complexion as “soft as a child’s kiss”. 

New CAMAY, soft as a child's kiss. 1964

Succeeding ads show a mother  and child snuggling together cheek-to-cheek, visualizing the “cheek-to-cheek softness” of the Mother’s skin washed with CAMAY.

The intimate portraits were a sharp departure from the CAMAY regular ads that showed young, beautiful ladies, and made their full-page appearances in weekly magazines. 

For the softest. loveliest complexion--new CAMAY, 1964

The new CAMAY campaign effectively demonstrated the functional benefits of the beauty soap, making it more relevant to a more mature market who are concerned with staying beautiful even with aging skin. The new CAMAY campaign lasted for over a year, until another total relaunch was mounted in 1967, which signalled the much awaited return of the young , modern CAMAY Girl.

375. Great New Laundry Soap Discovery! PMC's OSO, 1957

As one knows Philippine Manufacturing Company (PMC) started as early as 1908, under the name Manila Refining Co. It capitalized on the rich coconut industry of the country, to give us edible products like “Purico”, an early vegetable oil-based shortening. When Procter and Gamble acquired it in 1935, the company beefed up its coconut oil-based product portfolio to include laundry detergent bars, with the introduction of PERLA  in 1949.

The next decade saw PMC expanding its detergent line. In 1951, it came up with dirt-fighting “Luto”, and in  1957, it launched OSO.

OSO was heralded as “a great new soap discovery”, with a promise that it “washes better than any other soap”—a bold superlative claim, at that time. It was a product of a “new process” that made the soap purer and brighter. Thus, OSO had a 3-way advantage: longer-lasting suds, greater economy, and more fragrant clothes.

 Subsequent ads positioned it as “the whitest soap, for the whitest wash”. Even with this, OSO did not last the 50s decade.  After all, P&G already had 3 detergent bars at that time, and the differentiation was not delineated at that time. The best performer was PERLA, and consumers have also began discovering that it was also ideal for white clothes, as it was not only effective, but gentle. OSO was eased out towards the end of the 50s decade; LUTO would also be dropped. PMC decided put its marketing resources behind PERLA, a move that proved to be wise, as the iconic soap bar continue to exist to this day.

351. On Top for Taste: RAMA PREMIUM MARGARINE, 1965

RAMA PREMIUM MARGARINE, Launch Ad,1965

RAMA PREMIUM MARGARINE was launched in 1965, and it was meant to be a more affordable alternative to butter. It was meant to compete against the market leaders, P&G’s Dari-Crème and Star Margarine. RAMA is a blended margarine product made of selected vegetable oils and buttermilk that performs, tastes just like dairy butter, with a long history that goes back to 1870 when butter trader Jans Jurgens van Goch acquired the patent for developing margarine.

Deutsche Jurgenswerke AG took over the marketing and it was only in 1924 that the margarine brand was called “Rahma”, further simplified into RAMA. It was one of the first brands to be advertised nationwide in Germany, and the product history is an important part of the legayc of the country's industries. Unfortunately, the war wiped out the business, only for RAMA to resurface in the 1950s.

RAMA "55% OF HOUSEWIVES SAY..", 1965

In 1965, RAMA was launched in the Philippine market with a full complement of marketing, promotions and advertising programs. Unfortunately, the print ads, as well as the product packaging does not identify the Philippine distributor or manufacturing affiliate, if any. (It may have been Phiippine Refining Co., as in later years, Unilever Bestfoods developed RAMA into a mega brand).

'MRS. DE LEON" TESTIMONIAL AD FOR RAMA, 1966

It ran head-on with Dari-Crème, and it was apparent even in the way it bannered its taste and superior packaging: “Even without seeing, you can always tell the tempting taste of fresh, new RAMA…that melt-in-the-mouth goodness. Foil-wrapped, with a Fresh Flavor Seal , your guarantee that no other spread is fresher.

"MRS. REYES" TESTIMONIAL AD FOR RAMA, 1966

Indeed, RAMA PREMIUM MARGARINE, caused a bit of worry for P&G PMC, as the advertising even aped their own—using testimonials culled from housewives who have tried RAMA. Of these, 55% preferred its fresh, new taste—and this taste superiority was played up on TV and print ads presented by radio and TV personality Cris de Vera. Such formats were typical of P&G advertising.

RAMA RELAUNCH AD, 1968

In 1968, RAMA was relaunched, naming itself as “the spread with a Golden Taste”, whatever that means. Its popularity sputtered  towards the end of the 60s decade, until the product vanished altogether in the Philippine market in the 1970s.

The brand RAMA is being used today by a line of butter, dairy blends, whipping and cooking products,  sold widely in Germany. This innovative umbrella brand was developed under Unilever Bestfoods Germany with products made from high-quality vegetable oils for cold and warm kitchens. The Dutch-German Margarinewerke Van den Bergh manufactured the RAMA line. On July 2, 2018, the Unilever Group sold its spreads division to the financial investor KKR. In South Africa, this line of business was transferred from Unilever to Remgro. Since then, the new Upfield Holdings group has been operating the plants in Kleve and Wittenberg. Becel, Lätta and RAMA are Upfield's best-known brands.

SOURCES:

The Story of RAMA: https://www.rama.com/en-sa/about-rama/the-story-of-rama

RAMA Branding Source: http://brandingsource.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-logo-rama-blue-band-and-planta.html

Van Den Bergh Margarines: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margarinewerke_Van_den_Bergh.

310. The “BLINDFOLD TEST” Campaign of CAMAY Soap, early 1980s

 

CAMAY BLINDFOLD, "Gigi", Print Ad. ca. 1981

Beginning in 1980, CAMAY, Procter & Gamble’s leading  beauty soap launched a more hard-sell campaign to ward off its perennial arch-rival, PRC’s LUX. LUX had all the glamorous stars at its disposal as it was globally positioned as “the soap of movie stars”.  CAMAY felt that perhaps, the soap would appeal to  women on a more rational level, so sometime in the 1980s, it launched a “blindfold ” tactical campaign to test its new mildness.

The “blindfold challenge” was a format used before by CAMAY in the U.K. when it launched its new scent—Camay Wildflower. A blindfolded woman was asked to figure out the scent by smelling  a perfume bottle int which a soap has been inserted. Once she identified the “perfume scent”, her blindfold is removed and her cheeks are lathered with CAMAY soap.

The format was borrowed and was used to challenge a relatively unknown Filipina to test the gentleness of her beauty soap against CAMAY. She lathers one side of her cheek with her current soap, the other cheek with CAMAY. At the end, she is asked to choose which side felt smoother  and more “banayad” on the skin. Invariably, the CAMAY side always won.

A parade of newfound girls were recruited to do the “blindfold test” commercials, to draw in more mass appeal. They were not as well-known as previous talents, but still were referred to as CAMAY girls. Some of the models included the fashion model Gina Leviste, a band singer named Esperanza Tatlonghari (aka Zsa-Zsa Padilla), Angeli Pangilinan, member of the band Music and Magic (future talent management agency owner and wife of Gary Valenciano). A  few memorable lines came out if these popular ads-- as a result of the models’ discovery of Camay’s superiority over their current soap brands.  Upon removing her blindfold, for examples, a surprised Angeli squealed—“Hah? CAMAY? Akin na lang twooooohhhh!”

CREDITS: AGENCY: Ace Compton Advertising / CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gryk Ortaleza / COPYWRITERS: Menchu Arrogante, Mimit Zialcita / CASTER: Baby Dumaup, Myra Mendoza / PRODUCER: Dante Datu / ADVERTISER: Procter & Gamble Philippines

307. STAR MARGARINE, Drive and Energy Print Campaign, 1960

Get your Drive and Energy from STAR, 1960

STAR MARGARINE was first produced by the Philippine Manufacturing Co. in 1931, and 4 years later Procter & Gamble of Cincinnati acquired PMC. STAR already had a local following by then, but P&G was determined to market the brand better in its communication of real consumer benefits. 

STAR, "Dance" Version, 1960

Before STAR MARGARINE would find lasting fame and success for its “Iba na’ng Matangkad” ad campaign, brand marketing toyed with many selling propositions—from the product being a beri-beri fighter in 1951 (STAR had Vitamin B1), a vitamin-rich cooking aid, to a flavorsome, nutritious spread (“STARS for Flavor” was the slogan). 

STAR, "Swim" Version,1960

In 1960, STAR MARGARINE continued to be sold for its value-for-money health benefits, dimensionalized  as giving your body “drive and energy” , at a little cost. A tablespoon of STAR, the ad claims, has energy-giving value that is equivalent to a glass of milk, two eggs, and a slice of beef. A series of 3 print ads ran in color on leading weekend magazines, as shown here.

STAR,"Basketball" version, 1960

266. Brand Stories: PURICO, Procter & Gamble PMC, 1917

The Philippine Manufacturing Co. is largely the history of modern vegetable shortening in the country.

ALWAYS PURE, ALWAYS RICH, PURICO! 1940 Ad

In 1917,  it employed a chemist whose assignment was to start production of shortening and other edible products.  Near the end of 1919, the first-ever vegetable shortening manufactured in the Philippines was launched. It was noted for its purity and richness that it was named PURICO—a term coined from combined words “puro” (pure) and “rico” (rich), as Spanish was still widely spoken then.

SO PURE, SO RICH...PURICO COOKS MORE! A pair of print ads, 1955

These qualities were underscored in slogans and headlines like “Always Pure. Always Rich,” and “So pure..so rich..Purico cooks more!”PURICO was sold in carton blocks with the familiar yellow label, and were widely available nationwide—from the tiniest sari-sari stores, to the biggest groceries in the islands.

EVERYDAY FOODS WITH PURICO, 1953 PRINT AD

PURICO MAKES IT PERFECT,a pair of PURICO Print Ads, 1954

The products of PMC were promoted over the radio, then the leading mass medium before the advent of television. PURICO sponsored "The PURICO Amateur Hour,

TOLINDOY, CONDE UBALDO, PURICO FAN PHOTOS, 1950S

The PURICO Amateur Hour featured the brightest stars of the radio, dishing out songs and skits and what-have you--from Tolinday and Chichay, announcers Ira Davis and Conde Ubaldo, actresses Rebecca Gonzales, Lily Miraflor and singing discoveries like Milagros Bernardo.

PURICO FAN PHOTOS OF CHICHAY, REBECCA GONZALES, ETC.

The radio program attracted bigtime stars (Rogelio de la Rosa, Rosa Rosal, among others) and gained a nationwide following. PURICO and other PMC brands are credited today for ushering in the golden age of Philippine broadcasting.

PURICO FREE XMAS FREE PROMO, 1955

PURICO FREE EASTER GIFT PROMO, 1953

Fan photos of the performers and stars were issued for adoring fans to collect in albums. An example is shown above, made perhaps, by an ardent follower of the radio show.

TAWAG NG TANGHALAN TV PROGRAM, hosted by Lopito and Patsy, 1950s.

When PURICO Amaterur Hour was  renamed Tawag ng Tanghalan/Call of the Stage), it was staged for the new television medium,  for which the first TV advertising contract was  signed, after PMC was bought by Procter & Gamble. This further solidified the hold of PURICO on the shortening market. 

UPLIFTING THE PURICO IMAGE WITH A MANILA HOTEL AD,1960

The rise of liquid cooking oils eased out PURICO from the store shelves by the 1970s, until it totally disappeared altogether in the 1980s.

SOURCES:

PROGRESS Magazine 1956,

Radio Stars from Purico Radio Show, www.flyandfleablogspot.com

253. Procter & Gamble PMC: PERLA SOAP, Early Print Ads 1951-1957

Since its early beginnings in the first decade of the 20^th century, the business of Procter & Gamble PMC has been rooted in the production of vegetable shortening and detergent soap. When Philippine Manufacturing Co. (PMC) –then still wholly Filipino-owned—was incorporated in 1913, a new objective was set to manufacture and sell coconut oil. That time, there was only one coconut oi mill in the Philippines, so PMC set up its own oi mill and pressed its first copra in 1914.

 

PERLA, LOTS MORE SUDS, FEWER RUBS! print ad, 1951

The first coconut-oil based product from PMC were edible products beginning with Purico vegetable shortening in 1919. When P&G of Cincinnati, Ohio acquired PMC in 1935, it continued this venture, putting up its own plant, but the operations were halted during the war when Japanese forces occupied the plant in 1942.

 

PERLA WHITE SOAP,  print ad, 1951

But when thing settled, P&G PMC resumed its operations, rebuilt the plant,  and forayed into coconut oil-base soap production. That was how PERLA came to be in 1949, one of the very first white detergent bars made from pure coconut oil and natural ingredients.

 

WHITER, BRIGHTER CLOTHES with PERLA, 1953

As believers of advertising, P&G PMC began advertising PERLA in 1951. The first print ads basically promised many conveniences—“lots more suds with fewer rubs”, “gets whites white—no yellowing”, “no color fading”. “safe as clean water”.

 

BIG, HANDY NEW PERLA, print ad, 1955

Later, PERLA’s benefit became more focused, with the addition of a “sunshine ingredient”—Supersol—for the whitest, brightest of clothes.

It would take over 2 decades before PERLA found its niche when repositioned as the soap that gently cleans clothes—especially those made of delicate fabrics like undergarments, lacey apparel, lingerie and heirloom clothes. This insight actually came from PERLA users themselves who stood by the gently cleaning ability of the soap—as it was made from pure, natural ingredients.

 

PERLA, print ad, 1957

In fact, a secondary usage was also unearthed. Apparently, women were also using PERLA to wash their faces as part of their skincare regimen. Thus, the added benefit of “keeping hands in good condition after every washing” was incorporated in its messaging thru the 1980s. the advertising was handled by Ace-Compton Advertising, and later by Publicis-Jimenez Basic in the mid 1990s.

 

PERLA, today, in 3 variants. Photo: Perla FB page

PERLA was sold to SCPG Asia-Pacific, a manufacture of soaps, detergents and washing Powders  after 1994. Currently, Mt. Makiling International Oil, Inc. is  toll manufacturer of PERLA,  housed by SCPG Asia-Pacific Inc.  After 70 years, the iconic white bar—PERLA—is still around, with new variants (Blue) and revitalized formulation (with papaya extract) to keep up with the demands of the times.

SOURCES:
Perla FB Page, https://www.facebook.com/perlaphilippines/
Then and Now, Progress Report Magazine, 1958