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:

2000s:
 

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 …