Sep 16, 2020 23:19:00

What kind of advertising strategy was there before 'soap' for beauty and health became a major industry?

Life in the 21st century is full of advertising, but American advertising, especially cosmetics, dates back to the late 19th century. In an era when medicine was not well developed and the line between science, faith and magic was not clear, the success of a drug maker's 'advertising business' had an impact on modern cosmetics advertising, the writer said.

Ellen Wayland-Smith points out.

The Magical Art of Selling Soap | Lapham's Quarterly
https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/magical-art-selling-soap

Before the scientific revolution in the 17th century, science and magic were hardly distinguished, and the combination of 'medical scientist and show' was not uncommon. Just as magicians and palmistry show mysterious things, doctors are showing off new treatments, and the combination of 'dentist and puppeteer' and 'dentist and acrobat' is common. .. Although medicine has advanced with the development of science, medicine in the 19th century was still behind other scientific fields.

Under such circumstances, magician John Hamlin established a company called 'Wizard Oil Company', and under the slogan 'There is no unhealed pain, no unsuppressed pain', the patented drug ' Hamlin's Wizard Oil ' is a panacea. Has been released. Hamlin sells oil by pulling a wagon with colorful advertising illustrations on a horse and using the wagon as a parlor . He also led the business to success by traveling the Midwestern United States by wagon and selling medicines to local pharmacies.

Hamlin's success in business is partly due to the rapid development of the media and the rise in literacy rates. Hamlin published more and more catchphrase advertisements in newspapers, such as 'No pain that doesn't heal, no pain that doesn't go away' and 'Great medical wonders ... magical effects'. It's not that there were no complaints about the amount of advertisements that were too large, but the editors of newspaper companies continued to place advertisements because newspapers would be expensive without advertising revenue.

In addition, Hamlin has expanded its advertising beyond newspapers to include leaflets, brochures,

trading cards and almanacs . As a result, messages such as 'There is no unhealing pain' permeate throughout the United States, and as a result, the idea that 'seeking health' and 'being healthy' is important is unknowingly in people's minds. It will be imprinted on.

The Hamlin Wizard Oil epidemic peaked in the 1870s and 1880s, but in 1885 Rev.

Henry Ward Beecher said , 'If Christians are next to God, soap must be considered a grace. So that the remark is received as something that does not feel strange at all. It seems that 'health,' 'cleanliness,' and 'religious goodness' have come to be linked as a matter of course.

And from the 1880s to World War II, women's magazines began to advertise soaps and creams that improve the skin itself rather than hiding it with makeup. The 'cleanliness' epidemic, coupled with the 'clean life' epidemic of hydropathy, abstinence, and vegetarianism in the 19th century.

Hydropathy, in particular, was so popular that it had thousands of followers and dozens of treatment centers were built throughout the United States. In a 1850 medical journal, Dr. William Hosel wrote, 'Washing your body with a sponge soaked in cold water is of great value to people with various problems such as gout, irritability, and weakened skin.' .. Hydropathy does not like 'clogging of pores', but says that 'open pores' and 'healthy skin' are essential to restore physical health.

The idea of hydropathy will be reflected in the concept of cosmetics, and clogging of pores will be regarded as a 'secret cause of illness'. In the midst of this trend, the soap market expanded explosively between 1890 and 1920, partly due to public health reforms that took place around the same time. And many soap makers will complain to consumers that 'the soap used for cleaning and washing and the soap used for the skin need to be separate'. Some manufacturers have resisted this movement in the industry, but most have advertised that 'the natural functioning of the body requires soap specifically for the skin and scalp.'

A typical catch copy of soap for the scalp was that 'regular cleansing helps improve blood flow, improve scalp nutrition and make hair natural and beautiful', but the citrus industry Sunkist, who runs the company, not only said that 'soap washes away the deposits on the skin', but also warned that 'the soap itself can become deposits' and 'the fresh lemon provided by Sunkist eliminates the alkali of soap. Wayland-Smith says it's a genius to send the message 'Keep your hair clean.'

In the history of such advertising, 'soap' has grown as an industry. Wayland-Smith points out that the fact that advertising has come up with the idea of 'magical' that has left science behind and has been culturally successful should not be forgotten even today.