When I first moved out of my parents’ house in the ‘80s, I started buying my very own dish soap, among many other things.
I didn’t use my mother’s choice because she used the cheapest she could find, usually a generic or some low-quality brand. Me? I wanted a real brand, the real deal (as I thought back then).
My first choice was Palmolive because I believed the commercial. The commercial said it was gentle on the hands, and I needed this stuff that was ‘gentle on the hands’ as a dry skin sufferer. I cooked and washed dishes almost daily, so my hands were almost always in soapy water.
I remember the Palmolive commercial of a woman’s perfectly manicured hands and painted nails rising out of a sink full of bubbles, as if she had never washed a dish. I wanted my hands to look like that, too, so heck yes, I bought Palmolive.
Another reason is that I associated my grandmother Oma with Palmolive. The large bottle of green soap sat on her ceramic sink (or under it when she put it away), and having my own bottle on my sink reminded me of her since she had already passed on to Heaven.
It’s funny how something small like a Palmolive bottle can remind you of someone you love, like smelling a familiar perfume in the air. Once, I thought I smelled my dad’s fragrance, though he was long gone, too. Even knowing he was dead, I still looked around as if I just might see him in the crowd.
A few years passed, and I switched to Joy for a while. I loved the scent of lemons, and when they released Lemon Joy, I had to try it, of course. The shapely yellow bottle was cute, and the smell of lemons from the sink was a nice change.
The day I first bought Joy, I popped open the lid and gave the bottle a slight squeeze to smell it. So nice, I thought. Plus, it was a good name.
I needed Joy in my life then, and seeing the name every time I reached for it subconsciously appealed to my senses. But back then, it took a long squeeze to get good bubbles and cut grease. This was before Ultra Concentrate.
So I toggled between Palmolive and Joy for a while, and occasionally, I tried an off-brand here and there, depending on how much money I could spend.
For the last few years, I’ve stuck with Dawn regularly.
I didn’t use Dawn in those early years because it seemed more expensive and had no appeal to me. When I did try it, it seemed to dry my hands out more, too, something I didn’t need help with.
But Dawn’s marketing worked on me.
I got hooked when Procter & Gamble’s Dawn commercials started showing how its soap helped with wildlife rescues. Dawn appealed to my emotions. I think when a company goes beyond itself to do good in the world for causes that really matter, it’s a win.
What set me on this path with liquid soaps was thinking about how ‘advertising and copy’ sell…and they’re everywhere. If ads and their copy appeal to a person’s emotions and sell a product, that’s good…but only if they are truthful.
And if you are like me, you want the company to be honest about what the product or service does. I can’t stand lies and manipulation.
Today, I still use Dawn. Maybe you do, too.
And thinking back to the other day, when I walked into my mom’s little cottage, I noticed Dawn on her kitchen counter. I’m not sure how long she’s been using it, but it seems like a while now.
This is about soap, but it is also about honesty.
It’s why we use the items we do, and how ads capture our attention to get us to buy stuff. What type of emotions did they reach? Did a story intrigue you? Was it a promised guarantee?
When I hear the word ‘marketing,’ I cringe a little…though I am in the marketing world.
I sometimes associate it with stretched truths and empty promises—lies and manipulation—and we all hate that. Too many people describe a product or way of doing something as out of this world when nothing special really exists.
If you watch some YouTubers and their manipulation tactics, you’ll hear that: they all have the best secret to getting rich! The one thing you’re missing! The one thing that made them millions! Do this one thing, and you’ll never be poor (or fat, sick, or tired) again!
It takes wisdom not to fall into the tar pits of misinformation. It can be all smoke and mirrors.
So, as a consumer, I say the best part of selling is being honest. And being honest while appealing to emotions isn’t something to take lightly; it takes skill.
Tell the right story truthfully so it resonates, whether the consumer is interested or not.
Your thoughts?