In a Sunday story reporting the Top 10 Brands in British grocery stores, it wasn’t the news about best seller Coca-Cola that attracted me. I was riveted by Andrex – the toilet paper that’s the No 9 brand in the grocery stores over yonder. (It is in The Grocer ’s annual Britain’s 100 Biggest Brands survey.)
The puppy is so charming – and the “Be kind to your behind” slogan so clearly British – I could hardly wait to get to the brand’s website. That’s when I discovered the most luxurious toilet tissue ever has tapped Ayten Gasson, identified as a British lingerie designer, to create its limited edition range of Andrex brand Shea Butter Knickers. Just ₤10 the pair.
Now I have received certain – so to say squeamish – comments about using a beautiful, luscious, four-color photo of Italian lingerie model Elizabetta Canalis in a previous Signalwriter post. This time I’m playing safe: you get the pup. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
However, Dear British colleagues, here’s your chance to help me get to the bottom, ha ha, of this special announcement. American’s have had their own love affairs with TP (“Please don’t squeeze the Charmin’,” 504 TV commercials, etc.)
So give us the story behind Andrex, ha ha. Some of us Yanks want to know what we are missing.
2 comments:
Richard - If you have indeed checked out the Andrex website:
http://www.andrexpuppy.co.uk/
You would have seen that:
...Andrex® is not a store brand nor private label, but a mega-brand of the Kimberly Clark family
...Andrex® toilet roll was first launched in 1942
...Andrex® is the nation's favourite brand of toilet tissue, a position it has held for over 40 years
...Since the first puppy advert in 1972, there have been over 130 ads starring the Andrex® Puppy
...One in 10 households owns an Andrex® cuddly toy
...Andrex® is also ranked 25th in the Superbrands top 500 Superbrands.
In actual fact, the ‘puppy’ campaign has not only been running for 40 years in the UK, but has been spoofed, parodied and even extended to many countries world-wide including the US (something that doesn’t happen very often in advertising).
Regretfully, I am not familiar with the new Shea Butter Knickers.
Thanks, Rob - I suppose ALL the other Brit correspondents were just being too polite to tell me what I could have (perhaps) learned for myself.
Ignorance of the paw (and the rest of the puppy) is no excuse, though. Ta.
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