I ran across this advertisement in one of my very old periodicals, Ladies Home Companion, December 1, 1895. I have quite a few of what are now called ephemera, or, not meant to last. I like to read the ads that are politically incorrect and are generally a tutorial in the world of advertising. I photographed this one rather than scanning it as the resolution was better.
What I found interesting is the fact that I could not tell what the product was! They look happy and with a "merry heart", but what is Sapolio? After researching the sources I discovered that Sapolio was a brand of soap manufactured from 1869 until about 1918. But the most important fact was that this kind of advertisement led to the failure of the company. This company is cited in marketing texts for a major error in judgement. They believed that their product were so well known and loved that they could not be overtaken by any other company. So, they began this campaign with just an image and the name. We would call that a tagline now. Within a few years the company was gone. It was beat out by other companies using standard ad literature.
So, what will be the trend in the future for current advertisers? I believe that they will return to the tagline, but with a difference. Because of the high cost of TV advertising, there will be fewer full 60 second and 2 minute ads. But there will be many more 15 second taglines, like "SC Johnson, a family company", or "things go better with coke". But they will all still be annoying! Zoom Zoom...
What I found interesting is the fact that I could not tell what the product was! They look happy and with a "merry heart", but what is Sapolio? After researching the sources I discovered that Sapolio was a brand of soap manufactured from 1869 until about 1918. But the most important fact was that this kind of advertisement led to the failure of the company. This company is cited in marketing texts for a major error in judgement. They believed that their product were so well known and loved that they could not be overtaken by any other company. So, they began this campaign with just an image and the name. We would call that a tagline now. Within a few years the company was gone. It was beat out by other companies using standard ad literature.
So, what will be the trend in the future for current advertisers? I believe that they will return to the tagline, but with a difference. Because of the high cost of TV advertising, there will be fewer full 60 second and 2 minute ads. But there will be many more 15 second taglines, like "SC Johnson, a family company", or "things go better with coke". But they will all still be annoying! Zoom Zoom...
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