Shampoo advertisements: I bet if someone asked you about them, you’d say that nothing much has changed down the years, and like washing powder or washing-up liquid there’s only so much you can really talk about in the first place.
“It makes my whites whiter ?” — What ??
“It gives my whites that bluey whiteness !” — Come again ??
There’s a whole world of difference when it comes to shampoo, though.
It’s all about imagery. Take a look at these little beauties:
1950s:
1960s:
1970s:
1980s:
1990s:
Someone told me there was a pair of breasts in the last one if you look carefully, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the Pantene products …
Oh, and even more weirdly, Hitler’s been used in a shampoo campaign in Germany recently, much to the consternation of … well, pretty much everyone:
He’s saying “If you don’t wear ladies clothes, why are you using ladies shampoo?” no doubt emphasising the role of gender stereotypes in the Hitler Youth movement …
“Now, here it is: a real man’s shampoo – Biomen!”
Not one to miss a marketing opportunity, the arch propagandist drives his point home.
Biomen: losing sales dramatically, all over the Reich …
