491. THE LADIES OF LUX, 1965-1969

SUSAN ROCES, LUX LADY 1965

One of the leading beauty soaps for many decades in the country since the 1950s was LUX. LUX was launched way back in the U.S. in 1923 by the Lever Bros, (Unilever), that aimed to develop a richly-scented soap with an affordable cost. LUX was the result, sold at 10 cents when introduced. Its early advertising proudly stated that it was ‘made like the expensive French soaps’, offering a luxurious experience.

LUX’s ad agency sent complimentary samples to 425 Hollywood actresses and majority of them were won over by the exquisite scent, thus earning their endorsement, and starting the claim that 9 out of ten Hollywood stars used LUX. Actresses like Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn became the faces of LUX, and the same formula was used and cascaded worldwide, including the Philippines.

 The localized campaign of LUX in the Philippines began in the late 1950s, but the idea of a series began in the mid 1960s, and the ads from that era are featured here, created by J. Walter Thompsosn (Phils)., with the country’s famously beautiful actresses as celebrity endorsers.

DAISY ROMUALDEZ, LUX LADY 1965

MARLENE DAUDEN, LUX LADY, 1965

LIBERTY ILAGAN, LUX LADY, 1965

MAGGIE DE LA RIVA, LUX LADY, 1966

JOSEPHINE ESTRADA, LUX LADY 1967

ROSEMARIE SONORA, LUX LADY 1968

AMALIA FUENTES, LUX LADY, 1969

478. LUX GIRL: Actress, Singer HELEN ALBENT GAMBOA, 1969

HELEN ALBENT GAMBOA, LUX LADY, 1969 PRINT AD

One of the most popular, multi-facetted celebrities from the 60s, HELEN ALBENT GAMBOA (b. 7 May 1946), daughter of Kapampangan parents Domingo Gamboa and Eusebia Pangilinan Albent, made a name for herself first as a beauty queen, then became a singer of note, joined the movie bandwagon and became an icon of the ‘shing-aling’ decade.

She gained fame when, as a 15 year old, she placed 2nd to winner Cynthia Ugalde at the Miss Philippine Press Photography pageant, a contest conceived by an association of Philippine photographers in 1961. She was a Liberal Arts student at that time and before she knew it, Helen was swamped with movie offers and chose to sign up with Larry Santiago Productions. 

HELEN GAMBOA at the Miss PPP 1961, candidate # 13.

She was introduced in “Gorio and his Jeepney “ with Chiquito in 1962, based on a hit comic strip drawn by Larry Alcala for Manila Times. Directed by Pablo Santiago, the movie was an instant hit and Helen was on her way.

She followed this up with “Hugo, the Sidewalk Vendors” (with Berting Labra) and “Sakay and Moy” (with Oscar Obligacion and Cris de Vera), whose main characters were drawn from Philippine ‘komiks’. From her initial PhP 1,000 talent fee, she commanded Php 40,000 in her next films, a princely sum in the mid '60s.

She recorded many hit albums, doing covers of the popular songs of British singers, Petula Clark, Mary Hopkins, and Lulu. 

LA GAMBOA, at the peak of her song 'n dance career.

In 1969, Helen, at the peak of her career was tapped by J.Walter Thompson advertising agency to appear as an endorser for their blue chip account, LUX Beauty Soap, relaunched “with a new kind of luxury---now with nourishing cream”.  The LUX campaign featured a television commercial and a centerspread colored ad.

Centerspread ad of LUX, now with Nourishing Cream, 1969

Helen eloped with band musician Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, of the Tiltdown Men, a future senator and politician. Their children include Romina, Diorella, Gian and Ciara. Helen Gamboa is still active in the entertainment scene today, and continues to make appearances in productions produced by major TV channels. She also has done guestings in select music events that showcase her at her best--singing and dancing to the delight of her fans.

SOURCES:

Photo and Info: Views from the Pampang, '60s Singing Star: Helen Albent Gamboa of Sta. Ana, http://viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com/2011/08/264-60s-singing-star-helen-alvent.html

472. LEA SALONGA and the new PALMOLIVE Skin Care System: Two Beauty Breakthroughs of 1990

LEA SALONGA, in a fold-out print spread for Palmolive, 1990

After Lea Salonga scored a coup by bagging the role of Kim in Miss Saigon in West End, every ad agency in the Philippines wanted a piece of her. Previously, she had appeared as a young child in commercials such as KLIM Milk Powder and Johnson’s Baby Cologne. Now, as a young woman in the brink of global stardom, she has gained more popularity, more pulling power and influence, across a broad range of markets.

PALMOLIVE Fold-Out spread features its new 3 soaps with its own skin care system,

The stage susperstar, however, could only accommodate a few select appearances owing to her busy Miss Saigon schedule. In her few, short breaks , she did manage to appear in a few, much ballyhooed commercials like AT&T, Toyota (Saatchi & Saatchi, shot in London), and PALMOLIVE SOAP, and its new Skin Care System, produced by Basic/FCB.

 WATCH PALMOLIVE TVC WITH LEA SALONGA HERE:

The 3 new PALMOLIVE SOAPS go beyond cleaning because each has its own skin care system –Skin Cleansing (Palmolive Vibrant), Skin Nourishing (Palmolive Delicate), and Skin Moisturizing (Palmolive Natural)—to give exact caring for your skin!

Like Lea Salonga, the breakthrough star of 1990, the 3 PALMOLIVE SOAPS are touted as the new breakthrough skin care soaps of the new 90s decade.

 SOURCES:

Lea Salonga Palmolive commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G_ie2KLHTs, 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.

377, Celebrity Model: HILDA KORONEL for LUX (1981), TUSSY (1974), and CASHMILON (1970) Ads

LUX LADY, HILDA KORONEL, Print Ad, 1981

When she came into the showbiz scene via the movie “Haydee” in 1970, Hilda Koronel was just 13 years  old, but her performance in the film as the Filipino fan and her American boy band crush, as well as her refreshing beauty captured the fancy of Philippine fandom,

HAYDEE, with Ed Finlan, LEA Productions, 1970. Credit: Video48

The Angeles- born Susan Reid (b.17 Jan. 1957) , a prized discovery of LEA Productions,  had previously debuted in “Leslie” a year before. But if “Haydee” catapulted her to national fame, it was “Santiago” that earned her acting honors with a FAMAS supporting actress trophy.  Soon, she was making other critically acclaimed movies like “Stardoom”, “Tubog sa Ginto”, “Kung Mangarap ka’t Magising”, “Angela Markado”, “Tinimbang Ka Nguni’t Kulang”, “Maynila, Sa Kuko ng Liwanag”,  and “Insiang”—an iconic role that cause a sensation in Cannes. 

TUSSY LOTION with Vitamin A, Print Ad, 1974

Hilda was not only sought by producers and magazine editors, but also by advertising agencies, who squired her no end for her elegant beauty and influence. It is indeed surprising that she only appeared in a handful of ads, the most prominent being LUX Beauty Soap, where she appeared with an equally young Edu Manzano as her escort, in a commercial produced by J.Walter Thompson.

Her previous appearance had been in a “Tussy” skin lotion ad in 1974, and “Cashmilon” fashions (with Tirso Cruz III), in 1970, perhaps her first endorsement. She had always shied away from publicity, even as local media keeps wanting to pry on her private life, especially her relationships with actor Jay Ilagan and a string of others: Bambi del Castillo, Spanky Monserrat, and Dr. Victor Lopez. 

CASHMILON, with Tirso Cruz III, Print Ad. 1970

Hilda has even become more reclusive when she moved to the U.S. with Fil-Am husband Ralph Moore Jr. in 2000. She may have distanced herself away from the entertainment circuit, but her luminous beauty and rare talent will always be remembered and celebrated by her fans who first saw her on the silver screen 50 years ago. 

CREDITS:

Photo of "Haydee" movie ad, courtesy of Video 48 blogspot

wikipedia.com: Hilda Koronel

360. Brand Stories: HENO DE PRAVIA Soap, Print Ads 1960s-80

HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1974

One of the more prized soaps in the world are those made in Spain, and some brands like Maja enjoyed worldwide success, like Maja by Myrurgia , a favorite soap brand in 1930s Philippines.

In the late 60s, another Spanish made soap made its appearance in the Philippines and had a long, successful run as a beauty soap with “fragrance that leaves a little bit of you behind”: HENO DE PRAVIA.

The green soap in the familiar yellow and white package was a product of Perfumeria Gal, which produced the soap in 1905. The soap came into existence when one of the company's founders, Salvador Echeandia, traveled to Pravia in 1903, a northern Spanish village, where he went to sell his company's products. He arrived while farmers were busy cutting “heno”, a grass used as fodder for livestock, and its aroma captivated him. 

HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1968

Upon his return to Madrid he reproduced the fragrance of the “heno” grass and blended it with geranium, lavender and a hint of sandalwood. He marketed the soap as HENO DE PRAVIA, and in tribute to its derivation, made the bar mossy green, and wrapped it in yellow, the color of “heno” when it dries.  HENO DE PRAVIA became  Spain's best-selling soap, and its name has become a household word there.

HENO DE PRAVIA, Family 1, Print Ad, 1980

In the 1960s, HENO DE PRAVIA made its appearance in the Philippine market, and was promoted on the basis of its fragrance and credentials, having won awards in London, Paris and Madrid. Its first advertising print ad featured Filipina models, butw hen the agency, J.Romero & Associates took over, the ads featured Hispanic beauties and Castilian-type models, in keeping with the soap’s origin.

HENO DE PRAVIA, Print Ad, 1974

HENO DE PRAVIA, which caims to be still the no.1 beauty soap in the world, manufactured by Perfumeria Española Corp., a joint venture of  Perfumeria Gal with CIP. The brand is still available in the Philippines today, distributed by JDH Zuellig Inchcape Inc. It is also sold on online stores like Lazada and Shopee.

HENO DE PRAVIA, Family 2, Print Ad, 1980

SOURCE: Spanish Shop Online: https://www.spanishoponline.com/heno-de-pravia.html