515. CONTINENTAL NOODLE SOUP: The 1st Instant Noodle Soup in Packs, ca. 1950s-60, Print Ads

Before the advent of instant noodle soups in packs like Lucky Me, Maggi, Payless and Nissin’s, a noodle brand in foil packs has been satisfying Filipinos since the late 1950s: CONTINENTAL NOODLE SOUP, developed by Lipton, and distributed locally by the Philippine Refining Company (now Unilever).

When first sold, the brand was simply called Continental Noodle Soup, a dehydrated soup mix that cooked in 7 minutes. The first flavor was the classic Chicken Noodle Soup, made from noodles and chicken flavorings—a far cry from today’s noodles that cook in 2 minutes, available in a range of flavors from your basic chicken and beef to pancit canton, lomi, mami, even Thai and Korean spicy flavors.

Lipton's entry into the soup market is believed to have begun in the early 1950s with test campaigns for Continental Noodle Soup mix. The company also produced other dehydrated soup varieties, including onion soup mix, by the mid-1940s

At 45 centavos per pack, Continental Noodle Soups were expensive, but the copy claims that a pack is good for 4 servings. A sick child was usually served this soup treat, as chicken soup then, as now, a  it was sastisfying, warming, and comforting.

The first advertising were black and white print ads with clip art illustrations. By 1960, the ads, designed by PRC’s ad agency, were hand-illustrated and in full color. In 1964, Continental Noodle Soup was re-branded to the shorter ROYCO Noodle Soup (a coined term for ROYal + COntinental), and this brand name was used in other Asian and African countries. 

The new ROYCO name caught on with Filipino consumers and became a familiar household brand, until the late 70s when the more convenient plastic-packed oriental noodles were launched, displacing ROYCO.

484. 1960s LAUNDRY SOAPS THAT BECAME WASHED-UP BRANDS

Four laundry detergent brands from the 1960s decade no longer with us. For one brief, shining moment, FAS, GLOW, SUNLIGHT and MARVEL had promising benefits that soon got washed away, for reasons we do could only assume as poor sales due to marketing, promotion, product or company issues.

1960 SUNLIGHT Print Ad

SUNLIGHT, introduced in 1960, was Lever Bros. brand that was created back in 1884, the world’s first packaged product. Despite being touted as “the world’s largest selling household soap”, it did not catch on with the public”.

FAS, 1966 Print Ad

FAS, with “the fastest cleaning power” was a product of Philippine Detergent Products introduced in 1966, but was killed when their other brand “Marvel” made greater strides in the market, so resources were put behind that brand instead.

 

GLOW, 1965 Print Ad

GLOW “Fights Stubborn Dirt” was the very first laundry product manufactured and launched by Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp. (est. 1963). It did not last long in the market dominated by Tide and Breeze. The company had their biggest success in 1977 when it launched “Champion” detergent, which continues to be a pillar of laundry care products for the company,

MARVEL, ca. 1967 Print Ad

MARVEL , a brand of Philippine Detergent Products introduced in 1967 had better success as it was pushed with TV commercials and print ads (“Relax Lang” campaign)  that saw it thru the early 1970s, before it fizzled out.

391. TINGTING COJUANGCO for PRC’s POND’S and VASELINE INTENSIVE CARE (1980)

The 1980s were some of the most active years for Philippine Refining Company (PRC), as it battled it out for the beauty care market versus its arch rival, P&G Philippines. At the start of the ‘80s decade, it relaunched POND’s, a product of the POND’s company whuch had merged in 1955 with Chesebrough Manufacturing Co., to become Chesebrough-Pond’s.

 The bestselling cold cream had been advertised in the late 1950s using the Philippines’ most glamorous and accomplished women of impeccable pedigree—from socialite Chona Recto-Kasten (daughter of statesman Claro M. Recto), Eva Estrada-Kalaw (future senator), Virginia Llamas-Romulo (wife of diplomat Carlos P. Romulo) and former First Lady, Luz Banzon-Magsaysay.

In 1980, PRC chose the same approach as it Chesebrough-Pond’s did in the ‘50s, choosing a renown woman and young mother who had been adjudged as among the world’s most beautiful by no less than Harper’s Magazine in the ‘60s. POND’s scored a casting coup when the young socialite Margarita "Tingting" de los Reyes Cojuangco (b. 29 Apr. 29, 1944), agreed to appear in the POND’s “Beautiful Skin Now and Through the Year” campaign.

At age 18, Tingting married José Cojuangco, Jr., of the prominent political Cojuangco clan of Tarlac. She had modeled in her teen years, but this came to a halt when she began a family and settled in Tarlac. That was why, it was big news when she came back prominently as the celebrity endorser for POND’s, appearing in a glossy TVC and an array of print ads and advertorials.

Just when you  thought that POND’s would be her first and last appearance, the elusive beauty resurfaced that same year when she also became the model and spokesperson for VASELINE INTENSIVE CARE LOTION, another PRC skin care product. VASELINE started as hair tonic brand for men that was available in the Philippines as early as 1951. Needless to say, the ad industry was abuzz once more with this unprecedented casting decision that called for the same celebrity to endorse 2 skincare products of different brands, but under the same company.

After her appearances in these J. Walter Thomposon-produced commercials, delos Reyes went back to her role as a parent, raising 5 equally-beautiful daughters: Mikee (now Jaworski, champion equestrienne/actress), Liaa (now, Bautista doctor), Pin (now, Guingona), Maimai (now, Zini) and the youngest China (now, Gonzalez, model).

She would also pursue her studies , holding a Master’s in National Security Administration (MNSA) from National Defense College, doctorate degrees in Criminology and Philippine History. She forayed into politics (late president Benigno Aquino III was her nephew), serving 2 terms as Tarlac Provincial Governor (1992-98). She also ran for a position in the senate. A philanthropist, she is personally involved in  humanitarian projects among Muslim communities as well as  Gawad Kalinga. Truly, delos Reyes epitomized the ideal of a “true beauty with a purpose”.

SOURCES: 

Tingting Cojuangco: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingting_Cojuangco

388. HORLICK’S MALTED MILK, 1927-1930 Ads

HORLICK'S PHILIPPINE AD, 1930s

HORLICK’S  is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by British-born founders and brother  James and William Horlick way back in 1873. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food," soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In 1918, World War I  British soldiers brought it to India, where it achieved popularity as a family drink.

In Britain, HORLICK’S  was a favorite bedtime, while in other markets, it was promoted as a breakfast drink. It was in the 1920s that HORLICK’S MALTED MILK reached the Philippines and hailed as “the drink for all ages”.  HORLICK’S contains extracts of malted barley and wheat, mineral salts and milk, ingredients needed for ideal nutrition.

Early  Phil. HORLICK'S AD, 1927

The primary markets of this imported milk brand were undernourished Filipino children and women who are both beauty and health-conscious. It was sold in glass jars by druggists and leading grocers, and had the backing of doctors and nurses.

 The imported product was available through the next decades. There were even HORLICK’S Malted Tablets what were sold as candy, and which were supplied to the U.S. and UK. Troops as energy-boosting treats during the war. These HORLICK’S Tablets also became available in the country.

HORLICK'S GLASS PREMIUM, 1950a

HORLICK’S came under the ownership of  GlaxoSmithKline (Consumer Healthcare) in Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the U.K. until it was acquired by Unilever in 2018. The icon brand with a rich history is still in production today.

373. Helene Curtis SUAVE Hairdressing Crème and Lotion, Print Ads 1960-1969

SUAVE Print Ad, 1969, featuring Terry Aldeguer of the Aldeguer Sisters

Helene Curtis was a company formed from National Industries, which had originally produced personal care products, but which had to shift to making products for the war efforts. After World War II, National Industries resumed making personal care products and was renamed Helene Curtis, after the first names of partner Louis Stein's wife and son. 

The first products to come out from the Helene Curtis plant was SUAVE Hairdressing, in Crème and Lotion, which was launched for general retail sale, and proved to be a sales success. It went on to create more revolutionary products like hairsprays, with the brand name, Spraynet, spray-on deodorant Stopette, and a dandruff shampoo called Enden. 

Hairdresser Nomer Pabilonia for SUAVE. Model: Conchitina Sevilla 

But in the 1960s, Helene Curtis would eventually go back to build on the success of its SUAVE brand, introducing shampoos, creme rinses, and wave sets. As early as the 1960, Helene Curtis SUAVE was marketed in the Philippines, and was actively pushed with regular advertising campaigns. 

The earliest examples show SUAVE print ads featuring well-known fashion icons modeling the latest styles (“The Bob”, “The Bell”) created by leading hairdressers of the day, like Nomer Pabilonia and Moises Sia, who readily endorsed the product. 

Hairdresser Moises Sia for SUAVE, 1960 Print Ad

SUAVE had a great run in the Philippines and in the 1980s, it was repackaged in cost-efficient plastic with caps, as hair control products became more popular. Today, the SUAVE brand is owned by Unilever, and has expanded to include hair grooming essentials for men and women, like gels, shampoos, mousse, aerosol anti-frizz and other hair-control products.

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.

294. ROYAL SPAGHETTI of California Manufacturing Company, 1962-79

ROYAL SPAGHETTI, New Packaging, 1968

The Philippine manufacturing plant known as the California Manufacturing Company (CMC) began operations in 1955, and its pioneer product was the iconic ROYAL line of pasta products. The most popular of course, is ROYAL SPAGHETTI, which, from the 60s until today, continues to be a familiar sight in daily meals, birthday, fiesta celebrations and holidays.

ROYAL SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS, 1962

There was even a canned version of ROYAL SPAGHETTI, complete with meatballs, launched in 1962, but did not take off, as it is the habit of most Filipinos to prepare and customize their own spaghetti and pasta dishes. ROYAL SPAGHETTI was packed in yellow and red cardboard cartons with the familiar “Royal” font that has remained unchanged over the years. Also aavailable was ROYAL Macaroni, in shell and elbow types.

ROYAL SPAGHETTI CHRISTMAS AD, 1979

ROYAL also joined the instant noodle bandwagon in 1978, with its Chicken and Beef variants in pouches (“Noodles na mainit…in just two minutes!) , but it was its pasta flagship brand that would remain consistently popular. The advertising was handled for the longest time by Pacifica Publicity Bureau, and its memorable campaigns included the “Royal celebration” campaign, rolled out in the Christmas of 1968.

 In 2014, Food and beverage firm RFM Corp.acquired the ROYAL Pasta brand from the Unilever Group, which had bought CMC in 2000.  ROYL thus joined RFM’s own pasta line under the “Fiesta” brand, still in exsistence today. The transaction was valued at over P2 Billion, which covers mainly the Royal brand and inventories. For 6 decades now, ROYAL SPAGHETTI continues to be a bestseller, made to match with a whole new line of pasta sauces, for taste variety.

CREDITS:

AGENCY: Pacifica Publicity Bureau

Creative Director: Nonoy Gallardo

Copy Group Head: Vince Pozon

Copywriter: Betty Ann Quirino

CLIENT: California Manufacturing Corp. (CMC)

287. LADY'S CHOICE MAYONNAISE of California Manufacturing Co., Early Ads, 1966-1972

EARLY LADY'S CHOICE MAYONNAISE AD, 1966

LADY’S CHOICE was an American food brand that started in California way back in 1872.  A Philippine manufacturing plant—the California Manufacturing Company (CMC)—began operations in 1955, and introduced Filipinos to its world of flavorful products  like  jams, spreads, pickled vegetables to condiments and canned goods.

"BRING OUT THE BEST" APPEARS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ADS, 1968

The pioneer product of CMC was Royal Pasta,but not long after that, it launched LADY’S CHOICE MAYONNAISE in the 1960s. Mayonnaise was already a condiment that Filipinos were familiar with,  supposedly invented to the French chef of the Duke de Richelieu in 1756. To celebrate the Duke’s triumph over the British at Port Mahon in Minorca, the chef whipped up a celebration dish with sauce made from cream, egg yolks and oil. Thus, mayonnaise or “mayonesa” as Filipinos in the early 1930s called  the homemade concoction was born, used mainly for preparing salads.

 

THE 'BRING OUT THE BEST CAMPAIGN' contunues in 1969

LADY’S CHOICE MAYONNAISE was one of the first commercially-produced mayonnaise (the other being Egg-O), and was met with success. The mother brand was promoted through print advertising, and one of it early endorsers was the newly-crowned Miss International 1964, Gemma Cruz.

 

'MAKE IT A LADY'S CHOICE DAY", 1972 Print Ad.

Individual product advertising began in the mid 1960s, with many featured recipe ads. The popular “Bring out the Best” slogan came out in 1968, and would be used throughout the 1970s. Today, LADY’S CHOICE MAYONNAISE is a Unilever brand, having acquired CMC in 2000.

283. Brand Stories: VASELINE HAIR TONIC, 1960-1965

One of the best-selling hair tonics in the world is VASELINE HAIR TONIC for Men, manufactured by Chesebrough Manufacturing Co. The product had its start in 1859, when Robert Chesebrough visited Penssylvania oil fields and saw residue called “rod wax” that accumulated on oil rigs. Workers used the waxy substance to heal cuts and wounds. Chesebrough managed to extract petroleum jelly from the rod wax and created a medical product out of it which he called VASELINE.

The brand name was coined from the German word for water “wasser” and the Greek word “elaion” or olive oil.  From VASELINE Jelly, the company began expanding to personal line products using the same ingredient as base. In the 1920s, Chesebrough launched its VASELINE HAIR TONIC, a liquid hair groomer.  It was heavily promoted in print ads on the popular Life Magazine  from the late 1920s-1940s,  promising to ‘stimulate circulation, helped to relieve excessive dryness, and keep hir “manageable and handsome”.

In 1955, Pond’s and the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company merged to become Chesebrough-Pond’s.  By then, a Philippine affiliate company had been set up, marketing products such as Pond’s and Angel Face. It ws in 1960 that  Chesebrough-Ponds introduced VASELINE HAIR TONIC in the Philippines through a series of print ad. At that time GLO-CO, a local cosmetic company, dominated the men’s hair grooming market with its  Glo-Co Hair Tonix, endorsed by movies stars as early as the 50s.

To ensure wider usage, VASELINE HAIR TONIC was positioned as a unisex hair grooming product—good for both men and women.  Its quarter-page ads featured young men and women in various social situations. In 1967, rising young star of sampaguita Pictures--Lito Legaspi—endorsed the brand as its commercial model.

Vaseline was made by the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company until the company was purchased by Unilever in 1987.The product VASELINE HAIR TONIC with scalp Conditioner is still available today.

210. Health is Life: LIFEBUOY SOAP, Philippine Ads, 1936-1966

EARLY 1936 PHILIPPINE AD, LIFEBUOY HEALTH SOAP & SHAVING CREAM.

LIFEBUOY Health Soap  has a long history in the Philippines, available here in the Philippines since the Commonwealth years. Originally introduced by the Lever Bros. in England in 1895, it made a splash in America, becoming one of the country’s most popular soaps from 1923 to the 1950s.

The first LIFEBUOY Soaps in the country were imported from the U.S. by Smith, Bell & Co.Ltd. in the 1930s. The soaps—which were phenol-based carbolic soaps—were advertised on a “health” platform as the mediciney-smelling soap had germ-fighting qualities.

The Philippine Refining Company (PRC, founded 1916, incorporated 1927) became the manufacturers and marketers of Lever Brothers products when the company ventured into bath and beauty soaps. The first soap product introduced was LUX in 1950.  By 1951, LIFEBUOY was the best selling health soap in North America , prompting PRC to launch the soap here that same year.

 

WASH DAILY WITH LIFEBUOY! 1953 AD

The first illustrated, locally-made ads came out in 1953, touting the germicidal properties of the soap. The octagonal shaped LIFEBUOY  came in red and yellow packaging.

 

LIFEBUOY, KILL GERMS--GUARDS YOUR HEALTH,1953

Sometime in 1951 or 1952,  Lever Bros. experimented with adding perfumes to the soap, and made the changes permanent in 1954. Thus LIFEBUOY was repositioned as both a health and beauty soap. It is credited for popularizing the term “B.O.”for ‘body odor’ in it advertising.

 

MARLENE DAUDEN AND TONY MARZAN, LIFEBUOY SOAP, 1955

Advertisements from 1955, featured the coral-colored LIFEBUOY Soap endorsed by local showbiz love teams as a family soap. The ads made mentioned of LIFEBUOY’s exclusive purifying ingredient—Puralin—which keeps body safe from sweat and perspiration. The same ingredient also clears skin of blemishes. The first romantic pair featured were Marlene Dauden and Tony Marzan.

 

MARLENE DAUDEN AND TONY MARZAN, FOR LIFEBUOY, 1955

The use of the country's leading love teams turned out to be very successful, as beauty soaps made use of the same celebrity formula for their ads. The no #1 tandem of Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa,  joined the LIFEBUOY bandwagon in 1957. 

NIDA BANCA AND NESTOR DE VILLA, FOR LIFEBUOY, 1957 Photo: VIDEO48

Sampaguita Pictures was contracted by PRC to provide wholesome romantic pairings to appear in the LIFEBUOY print ads, and they were employed for regular as weall as seasonal promotions,

NATION'S LEADING LOVE TEAMS, LIFEBUOY ENDORSERS,1957

Other leading love teams of the country who pushed the product in the 50s decades included Amalia Fuentes and Juancho Gutierrez, Shirley Moreno and Zaldy Zshornack, Maruta Zobel and Robert Campos, and Lita Gutierrez and Willie Sotelo.

MARITA ZOBEL AND ROBERT CAMPOS FOR LIFEBUOY SOAP, 1961

 In the 1960s, the love team formula in LIFEBUOY advertising was continued by the new toast of Philippine movies, Susan Roces and young, matinee idol, Romeo Vasquez,  Marita Zobel and Robert campos also pushed the products to new height in 1961

SUSAN ROCES AND ROMEO VASQUEZ, FOR LIFEBUOY SOAP, 1960

LIFEBUOY surged in popularity in  late 1960s through the early 1970s, with the introduction of LIFEBUOY White.

 

GLORIA ROMERO & JUANCHO GUTIERREZ, FOR LIFEBUOY SOAP, 1961.

By 1966, LIFEBUOY began modernizing its look, and upgrading its formulation, with its Double Care  Action, which protects against skin bacteria, and which gives a longer-lasting feeling of after-bath freshness. This was at a critical time when Procter & Gamble decided to launch its bacterial skin soap, Safeguard, internationally, beginning with the Philippines.

LIFEBUOY'S DOUBLE-CARE ACTION, for all-day protection, 1966

LIFEBUOY's original anti-bacteria platform had been diluted through the years with added promises of complexion care due to the proliferation of beauty soaps. This proved to be LIFEBUOY's undoing, as Safeguard would latch on to this single-minded "germ protection', and built it with credentials from medical authorities. By the new 70s decade, SAFEGUARD had a stronghold on the bacterial soap market.

LIFEBUOY, Double-Care campaign, female version, 1966

LIFEBUOY advertising continued till the early 2000s, until the product itself was totally phased out from the U.S. market in 2006, though it still is produced in some parts of the world, including India—for the Asian market.

AN ATTEMPT TO PRE-EMPT SAFEGUARD'S LAUNCH, Note tagline. 1966

SOURCE:

NIDA-NESTOR LIFEBUOY PRIINT AD, courtesy of Video 48.http://video48.blogspot.com/2008/04/terrific-tandem-of-nida-and-nestor.html