" GEE YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC" Product Ad, 1989-90
The popular shampoo that uses an effusively kilometric
sentence as its brand name---"GEE YOUR HAIR TERRIFIC”—was sold in the
Philippines in the late 1980s in very mod plastic bottles that came in bold primary colors—red,
yellow and blue. The shampoo brand was manufactured by Andrew Jergens Co, in
the 70s. I only reached the Philippines a decade later, after a successful run
in the U.S. Jergen’s lincesed the shampoo’s formulation to Vibelle
Manufacturing Corp. in Malabon, which also markets Caronia and Bioré, both
cosmetic brands. Which is why, even with the death of he brand in the U.S. it was
still around in the early 1990s
WATCH THE U.S. "GEE YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC" 1976 TVC HERE:
The product is now defunct, but during its shortlived appearance
on market shelves in the Philippines, "GEE YOUR HAIR TERRIFIC” was advertised
in full color magazine ads using plain product shots that were unimagitive and not at all-- well, terrific. OnTV, a U.S.-produced ad was briefly aired. The
novelty of the brand name made it popular with the youth market back in its time, and
was referenced in sitcom scripts, quoted in stand-up comic acts and used in everyday
jargon.
FROM MISS SAIGON TO MISS AVON, Lea Salonga, ca.1999-2000
By the new millennium, LEA SALONGA was already an
established star of the musical theater stage, having conquered Broadway
when Cameron MacKintosh’sMiss
Saigon opened in 1991, after her West End stint. She again played
the role of Kim in the U.S., winning the Drama Desk,Outer
Critics Circle, and Theatre World awards—and the most coveted of
them all, a Tony Award, the first actress of Asian descent to be so honored.
Salonga would return to Broadway again sometime in
2000, to rehearse with the cast, for the closing of the Miss Saigon production
in 2001. While there, she was contacted by AVON, the direct-selling American-British
multinational cosmetics, skin care, perfume and personal care company.
AVON was in the midst of pitching the promotion of
its cosmetic products. In the end, the company decided to produce in-house their
first-ever global advertising campaign,
under the banner “Let’s Talk”. The ads focused on AVON’s
relationship with women and its latest beauty innovations.
LEA SALONGA was one of the celebrities handpicked
by AVON to talk to women everywhere in ways they understand. A simple
format was used to accommodate the busy schedule of the Broadway sensation. A representative from Jimenez DMB&B,
the Makati-based agency that was handling the AVON business in the
Philippines, flew over to New York, during the quick shoot, using an
all-American production crew.
AVON PHOTOBOARD, "LET'S TALK" TVC 30s
The campaign was rolled out internationally in 2000, at a
cost approximately $90 million in 2000, 50% more than the over 1999 budget allocation.
Salonga’s slick, fashion-forward AVON Commercial was aired in the
Philippines for a brief period, another addition to her portfolio of major advertising
accomplishments that was driven by her historic
international success on the world stage, which remains unequalled to this day.
THE PHILIPPINES IS MARLBORO COUNTRY. The local adaptation of the immensely-successful Marlboro advertising campaign featured familiar scenic spots like lakes in exotic Zamboanga, Banaue Rice Terraces, Taal Volcano and Manila's skyline--instead of rugged Western frontiers. 1965.
Marlboro Cigarettes of Philip Morris gave the advertising world the most iconic
brand image of the century—the Marlboro Man—the macho and rugged American
cowboy that catapulted the cigarette brand as the best-selling cigarette in the
world.
The Marlboro Man campaign was a sharp detour from the 50s
beginnings of the brand, when Marlboro was advertised to appeal to women
smokers with a taste that’s as “mild as May”.
The agency Leo Burnett, in its attempt to expand the appeal
of Marlboro, created the masculine icon accompanied by the slogan “delivers the
goods on flavor”.
The campaign was an immediate success, and the Marlboro Man
was rolled out nationwide in the U.S. in 1955, resulting in sale of over $5
billion, an astounding 3,124% increase from 1954.
The agency then shifted to other manly types—from tattooed
men, devil race car drivers and ball players—all of which proved to be
effective.
WATCH VINTAGE MARLBORO COUNTRY
COMMERCIALS HERE.
The cowboy character however,
came back in 1964—in a new mythical environ---the Marlboro Country, where these
virile men in white hats rode their horses into the sunset, sat quietly before campfires,
with flames crackling, an open Marlboro pack in their hands. The slogan was an
invitation to "Come to where the flavor is”. The memorable soundtrack music was actually from the 1961 movie "The Magnificent Seven", composed by Al Caiola. The version of Oscar award-winner HenryMancini became very popular.
MARLBORO MAN trailblazing in Taal. Print Ad. 1966
The Marlboro Man in Marlboro Country was launched in the
Philippines at the beginning of 1965. It made use of images of the American
cowboy considered by Leo Burnett as "an almost universal symbol of admired
masculinity.”
The Marlboro Country settings, however, were localized,
perhaps to connect with Filipinos. Instead of
America’s wild frontiers, the Marlboro Man was seen marveling at the
world’s smallest volcano in Taal , viewing the vintas of Zamboanga, contemplating the
wonders of Banaue Rice Terraces and watching the high rises of modern Manila.
MARLBORO MAN at the World's 8th Wonder-Banawe Rice Terraces,1966
The print ads were obviously re-composed, but the bizarre
visual anachronisms did not matter to the Filipino consumer—the local
adaptation of the U.S. campaign was a blockbuster hit, sending hordes of consumers huffing and puffing Marlboro sticks.
The ominous health care warnings against cigarettes as a
cause of lung cancer were publicized in 1957. But even when cigarette
advertising was banned from TV in 1971,
the Marlboro Man continued to fuel the growth of the brand, By 1972,
Marlboro was the No. 1 tobacco brand in the world.
MARLBORO MAN gets lost in the concrete jungles of Manila. Print ad, 1965.
But more upheavals were coming as anti-smoking movements
spread all over America. A Master Settlement Agreement in the 1990s abolished
outdoor advertising for cigarettes. Then
, the Food and Drug Administration won regulatory control over the tobacco
industry that led to the limiting of sale of branded merchandise, the banning
of sports and entertainment sponsorships, and youth market targeting.
It was just a matter of time that the Philippines followed
suit. On 23 June 2003, Republic Act 9211
or the "Act Regulating the Packaging, Use, Sale Distribution and
Advertisements of Tobacco Products and for Other Purposes" was by Pres.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In 2007, TV,
radio, movie theaters and outdoor advertising were banned, and in 2008,
event sponsorships. The law also prevents celebrities from endorsing tobacco
products in advertising. Promotion is limited to point-of-sale and sari-sari store
and in select establishments like
restaurants, bars and billiard halls.
MARLBORO MAN RETURNS, Back Cover, April 2000 issue of LIFE Magazine.
The Marlboro Man – a commercial icon both revered and reviled
and revered—continues to make its presence felt
in the U.S. today, albeit not in traditional mainstream channels but in
direct-to-consumer communications.
A sad postscript to the campaign were the deaths of models David Millar (d.1987, age 81), Wayne Mclaren (d.1992, age 51), David McLean (d.1995, age 73), and Eric Lawson (d.2014, age 72) who all appeared as Marlboro cowboys in countless Marlboro Country ads. They all passed away from cigarette-related lung diseases.
ERIC LAWSON, Marlboro Man from 1978-1981, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by smoking. Picture source: http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-marlboro-men-20140127-story.html
