Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S10E03 - You're Soaking In It: Female Brand Icons

Episode Date: January 21, 2021

This week, we learn about famous female brand icons. In a marketing world full of Mr. Cleans, Ronald McDonalds and Mr. Whipples, there are female brand characters that were just as successful - and some even lasted longer. Join us as we draw a direct line from Josephine the Plumber and Madge the Manicurist to Flo from Progressive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please, do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan, you just have to love storytelling.

Subscribe now, and don't miss a single beat. This is an apostrophe podcast production. Your teeth look whiter than no nose You're not you when you're hungry You're a good hand with all teeth You're under the influence of Terry O'Reilly. One day back in 1861, the Pinkerton Detective Agency was alerted of a plot to kill a certain congressman. The Republican politician was about to embark on an important train trip. He was to leave Illinois, then give whistle-stop speeches in Columbus, Pittsburgh, New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. From there, he was to switch trains in Baltimore, then continue on to Washington, D.C.

Pinkerton discovered a group of men planned to gun the congressman down when he arrived at the Baltimore rail station. So Pinkerton put its top detective on the case. Detective Warren was different than the other detectives. Clever, patient, and a master of disguise. Warren devised a plan and purchased a big floppy hat and a shabby overcoat for the congressman. Then coached him on how to walk like he was crippled. All aboard! Then they boarded the train together for the fateful trip to Baltimore.

When the train pulled into Baltimore, the congressman, in disguise, limped his way through the train station and none of the assassins took notice of him. They were looking for a tall, confident politician, not a disheveled, disabled man accompanied by a caregiver. The politician boarded the train to Washington, guarded by Detective Warren, who was also in disguise as that caregiver. As the train made its way to Washington, the congressman slept. But Detective Warren stayed awake all night,

keeping a watchful eye over the politician, making sure he was safe. When the train arrived in Washington, the congressman stepped off, thanked Warren, and proceeded to his inauguration ceremony. His name was Abraham Lincoln. Foiling that assassination plot made the Pinkerton Detective Agency famous. Founder Alan Pinkerton then created a logo for his agency. It was a big, wide-open I. The slogan?

We never sleep. The logo caught the imagination of the public and became the origin of the phrase Private Eye. Both Pinkerton's logo and slogan were a tribute to Detective Warren, who had outwitted the killers and had stayed awake all night protecting Lincoln.

Detective Warren's first name was Kate. She was the first female detective ever hired by the agency. In a business full of men, she became one of the agency's top detectives. What she lacked in brawn, she made up for in cleverness and an incredible eye for detail. Kate Warren became iconic in the history of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The world of marketing has its own iconic females. In a business filled with male mascots and masculine brand characters, some of the most famous and longest-lasting are female.

What they lack in numbers, they make up for in their incredible effectiveness. From Josephine the plumber to Flo from Progressive to the striking lady who opens every movie from Columbia Pictures, these female brand characters are some of the most iconic in advertising history. Back in 1919, a film sales company was founded by Harry Cohn, his friend Joel Brandt, and Harry's brother, Jack Cohn. It was named the CBC Film Sales Corporation. In 1924, the owners changed the company name to Columbia Pictures. The choice of the word Columbia was very specific. Around 1738, transcriptions of debates in the British Parliament began appearing in a weekly English publication called The Gentleman's Magazine.

But it was technically illegal to publish the debates verbatim, so editors would use thinly disguised names and places with either fictitious labels or transparent anagrams. The word Columbia was chosen to represent the 13 colonies

of the New World that would eventually make up America, probably inspired by Christopher Columbus. When Columbia was eventually personified, it was female. She was presented as a goddess-like figure wearing long, flowing robes with a stars-and-stripes sash. It is believed that personification is the reason America is still referred to as she or her. Columbia would remain as the country's personification

until the Statue of Liberty would replace her in 1886 as the feminine representation of America. Columbia Pictures, one of the oldest studios in Hollywood, has used an iconic symbol dubbed Lady Columbia since 1924.

Every Columbia Pictures film opens up with the image of a woman holding a torch, wearing flowing robes, standing on a pedestal. No one knows who first posed for Lady Columbia, but she has undergone at least seven updates over the years. In the 1980s, Lady Columbia's figure took on more curved contours.

Some say her shape resembled a Coke bottle, which would make sense. Coca-Cola purchased Columbia in 1982. There was a rumor that actor Annette Bening had posed for the latest version of Lady Columbia, which was false. But Columbia Pictures had a sense of humor.

For the 1993 movie What Planet Are You From, starring Annette Bening, the studio allowed the filmmakers to superimpose Bening's face over the opening Lady Columbia logo. The imagery was last changed in the mid-90s. A New Orleans illustrator was commissioned to update Lady Columbia, so he recruited a friend of his, who had never modeled before, to pose on her lunch break with a makeshift robe and a desk lamp for a torch. And from that, the illustrator created a taller, slimmer version with curlier hair that is the Columbia Pictures logo we all know today. Lady Columbia has now graced movie screens for close to 100 years.

Growing up in the 60s and 70s, there were many famous television advertising campaigns that make me as nostalgic as the classic TV shows they appeared in. One of those advertising campaigns featured this lady. Would you believe it? Me telling folks not to use Comet? Know why? Because I'm telling them to use New Super Comet. New Comet gets out stains when other leading cleansers can't. Her name was Josephine the Plumber. The product was Comet Household Cleanser.

The campaign began in 1963, in the black-and-white days of television. A female plumber was an interesting choice for a spokesperson, as it was a highly unusual profession for a woman back then. Many commercials in the campaign played off that surprise. Josephine would knock on the door, a surprised housewife would answer, and Josephine would say, you called for a plumber? But that casting choice got Comet a lot of attention.

The actor who played Josephine was Jane Withers. Born in Atlanta in 1926, she began acting at the age of three. Withers was a top box office draw in the mid-1930s and was famous for the movies she made with Shirley Temple. Hey, that's my doll. Well, I just found her here. You can't have her, you bad old thing. You ran away from home and I'm gonna...

Withers performed in many movies, including the 1956 film Giant with James Dean. The advertising idea for Josephine the Plumber was inspired by Rosie the Riveter, that iconic World War II poster that encouraged women to join the wartime labor force. Josephine was a plumbing bundle of energy, dressed in white overalls with a white hat, big eyes, and a big smile. She, of course, was selling housework, not home repair, happily showing housewives how to get stains out of sinks using Comet.

Watch this. I'll sprinkle another leading cleanser and new Super Comet. Let them work a bit. Now you're going to rub? Right. See? Comet's Let him work a bit. Now you're going to rub? Right. See? Comet's removing the stain. The campaign ran for 12 years, making Josephine the Plumber not only one of the longest-running

advertising characters, but one of the most famous female ad characters of all time. And the wonderful Jane Withers is still with us at the ripe old age of 95. Two years after Josephine the Plumber made her debut, another female advertising icon appeared.

She wasn't a plumber, but sinks did play into her world. She was a manicurist, and her name was Madge. Madge, why did you decide to become a manicurist? All the usual reasons, romance, adventure, money, thirst for power. When I see your hands, I wish I were a nurse. Dishwashing, Madge. Want to try palm olive dishwashing liquid? Softens your hands while you do the dishes. Pretty green. You're soaking in it. With dishwashing liquid? Palm olive. Mild, then.

Oh, more than just mild. Right, Madge. Palm olive suds last from the first glass to the last greasy casserole. And it softens hands while you do dishes. Madge the manicurist worked at, or owned, hard to say, the imaginary Salon East beauty parlor. The ad campaign debuted in 1965. Like Josephine the plumber,

both campaigns were highly unusual for the era, as very few commercials showed working women. In every commercial, a client sits down with Madge and complains about her dishpan hands. Madge doesn't only dispense a funny line about those hands, she dispenses a surprise when her clients realize they're soaking their fingers in dishwashing liquid. Paul Malov dishwashing liquid. It was a very smart advertising strategy. Before home dishwashers became ubiquitous,

women complained of having dry, rough hands from doing the dishes every day. So Palmolive positioned their dishwashing liquid as a brand that would soften hands by adding a moisturizer to its ingredients. Then Palmolive's advertising agency created Madge to deliver the goods. And no kidding, Palmolive softens hands while you do the dishes. That persuasive selling point propelled Palmolive to the top of the dishwashing liquid category. The actor who played Madge was Jan Miner. When she showed up to the original audition for the role, Miner thought she was in the wrong room. All the other actresses were much younger than she was.

She was, by far, the oldest person in the room. So she sat down and tried to figure out a way to use her age to outdo the other actresses. She decided to play her as an older, wiser, funny manicurist. She got the job. Madge, I just got engaged. Ah, who would ask for this hand? Oh, it's dishwashing.

What'll I try? Everything. And use Palmolive dishwashing liquid. Soften your hands while you do the dishes. You're soaking in it. In dishwashing liquid? Well, it's Palmolive. Mild?

More than mild. Makes heaps of suds that last. And no kidding, Palmolive softens hands while you do the dishes. Jan Miner had a long history in radio drama before landing the Madge role. She played Della Street on the Perry Mason radio show and appeared in many other radio serials. Miner said the palmolive gig was a gift, as it made her financially secure and able to pursue her love of theatre.

She studied under famous acting coach Lee Strasberg and performed in many Shakespearean productions, including at the Stratford Festival in Canada. Amazingly, Jan Miner played Madge the manicurist for 27 years, from 1965 to 1992, making it one of the longest-running characters in advertising history. And the 27 years of commercials never seemed to wear out, a tribute to Jan Miner's performance. She put this line on the advertising map and in our theme song. You're so king in it. That's right, Madge. And we'll be right back after this message.

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There, he saw soldiers eating small chocolate candies with a hard, sugary coating. What caught his eye was the fact that chocolate didn't melt in the hot summer sun. When Mars got back to the USA, he decided to start a candy company with a friend named Bruce Murray. They took the first initials of their last names and called the candies M&Ms. The candies caught on, especially in the era before central air conditioning. Normally, chocolate sales dipped in the summer, but M&M's didn't melt. In 1954, Mars asked his advertising agency, Ted Bates & Company, to come up with a slogan for his

candies. Ted Bates was the same agency, by the way, that created Madge the Manicurist. The ad agency came back with what would become one of the most famous slogans of all time. Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. Remember, no chocolate mess at home or away, at work or at play, because the milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

Get M&M's plain and peanut chocolate candies. M&M's enjoyed a large share of the candy aisle until around 1995. Sales flatlined for the first time. So, Mars asked its advertising agency to come up with an idea to kickstart the brand. The problem was that M&M's had just become another candy in the candy aisle. It had lost its personality. If you ever wonder why branding is important to a product, here is a case study. M&M's needed a memorable way to stand out in a very competitive candy category.

It needed a unique hook. So the advertising agency came up with an idea. Assign a character to each of the M&M colors. And by doing so, create a comedy ensemble of sitcom archetypes. Red was the sarcastic one, yellow the goofball, and blue was the cool one. All were voiced by male actors.

So the ad agency chose to make the green one female, and they chose to make her sexy. She sported pouty lips, big eyelashes, and white high heels. She often put a hand on her hip and blew kisses. Voice, courtesy of Canadian actress Cree Summer.

Triple chocolate M&M's premiums. Mmm, dark milk and white chocolate. A premium combination that's positively heavenly. M&M's premiums. Are we good? The sexy Ms. Green is a cheeky nod to the urban myth that green M&M's are an aphrodisiac, a rumor that began in colleges in the 1970s.

For years, the green M&M even graced the back cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. Sexualizing chocolate is nothing new. Chocolate is often sold using sensuality. The green M&M was the sole female in the gang for 17 years, until the brand added a second female character in 2012. Enter Ms. Brown. Smart and no-nonsense, wearing practical eyeglasses and packing a sharp wit. She was launched on the Super Bowl. This February 5th, Ms. Brown will take the spotlight.

But consider yourself warned. She's not your average chocolate. You're smart. I can tell just by looking at you. And a really smart person would vote for my ad as their favorite Super Bowl commercial. So go ahead and prove me right. The M&M's campaign has been running for over 25 years now. M&M's is a half-billion-dollar brand.

And the two female M&M's have appeared in dozens of commercials together. Then, on June 28, 2015, M&Ms issued a very interesting post on Twitter. It showed Miss Green M&M sitting on a beach holding hands with Miss Brown M&M. One green hand rests on Brown's knee. Caption, It's rare that Ms. Brown and I get to spend some time together without some colorful characters barging in. Mars Incorporated refused to comment on whether the two female M&Ms are, in fact, gay.

But the timing of the Twitter post was telling. It was tweeted exactly two days after the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in America. If you're looking for flexible workouts, Peloton's got you covered. Summer runs or playoff season meditations, whatever your vibe, Peloton has thousands of classes built to push you. We know how life goes. New father, new routines, new locations. What matters is that you have something there to adapt with you, whether you need a challenge or rest.

And Peloton has everything you need, whenever you need it. Find your push. Find your power. Peloton. Visit Peloton at onepeloton.ca. The insurance industry has had a huge advertising reawakening in the last 15 years. Traditionally, insurance advertising was dull and conservative. But the Geico caveman campaign in 2004 kicked the

doors open. Suddenly, insurance became the hot advertising category. Geico moved from caveman to a spokes lizard, Allstate introduced its mayhem character, and Liberty, Liberty, Liberty got in on the act. But there is one

character that has run for 12 years and counting. Meet Flo from Progressive. Welcome to Progressive.com. Did you find your policy okay? I did. Saved over $350. We have a savings of $350. A savings of $350. You know, that comes with concierge claim service, local response claim service, and 24-7 live support, all at no extra charge. Wow. Wow, I know. I say it louder.

Have a great day. Flo is a bubbling, beaming bundle of energy. Sporting a white apron and a huge smile, she loves her job and can't wait to help people save money on their insurance. The actor who portrays Flo is Stephanie Courtney. She is a comedic actress and a senior member of the LA-based improv group, The Groundlings. Courtney didn't land the role of Flo until she was 38. Until then, she had popped up in movies like The Heartbreak Kid, Blades of Glory, and played the gossipy switchboard operator on Mad Men.

Progressive was looking for someone with a big personality, super friendly and nice, almost to the point of madness. Someone who could make shopping for insurance a pleasant experience. Courtney read that description and said, that's easy, then simply based the character on her mom. She ad-libbed a funny line in the audition that made the advertising agency folks laugh and landed the job. It takes two hours of hair and makeup

to transform Courtney into Flo. They give her bangs and tease her hair, spray it in place, add a headband, and apply a lot of makeup. Courtney says the makeup changes her face completely. It's almost like wearing a mask. That huge change has an upside. She can walk around in her everyday life without being recognized.

The way Courtney plays the character, it's the opposite of the green M&M. She says Flo is, quote, the most asexual character on TV. She says the Geico lizard puts out more sexual vibes than Flo does. By 2014, Kourtney had already filmed over 100 progressive commercials. It has been estimated that Kourtney may make as much as $2 million per year in salary and commercial residuals. As Jan Miner said, acting in commercials can be a gift for actors. So, has the campaign been a success for Progressive Insurance? Well, here's what you have to know about Flo.

In the decades since her debut, Progressive's business has doubled from $13.6 billion to over $30 billion today. That growth rate is double that of the property and casualty insurance category over the same period of time. Flo has also become part of the pop culture landscape. She has already been voted one of the top female brand icons of all time. There are Flo Halloween costumes, and she has been name-checked by Drake and Ellen DeGeneres. That's a rarity in the world of advertising, where campaigns are created and discarded about every 18 months. And considering you probably see Flo about 15 to 20 times a month, most other spokescharacters would be facing incredible wear-out with viewers.

But data shows the opposite is true. Her popularity keeps growing. And Progressive is going with the flow. One of the most interesting aspects of the marketing world, to me, is its history. Because you can see the influence of past campaigns on the work of today. There is no doubt that Flo from Progressive is a direct descendant of Josephine the plumber. She is a bundle of energy and full of personality. Their white uniforms echo each other, even though over 30 years separate the two campaigns.

In a world populated by Mr. Clean and the Man from GLAAD and Mr. Whipple and Ronald McDonald, these female brand icons were every bit as effective and famous as their male counterparts. Josephine was ahead of her time, a female plumber in an era that predated women's lib by more than ten years. Madge was such a smart idea for Palmolive, who sees more dry hands in need of help than a manicurist. You can argue that neither were great role models, but they were of their eras. The sexpot green M&M, on the other hand, is an oddly dated personification that has now been counterbalanced by the no-nonsense Ms. Brown. And who knew they were a couple?

It also has to be said that one of the reasons these characters lasted so long is due to the wonderful actors who portray them, each with long pedigrees in the acting profession. That's quite an achievement in this disposable world because, like the Pinkerton Detective Agency,

advertising never sleeps when you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. Zip, zip. Zip, zip. Zip, zip. Zip, zip. Zip, zip. Zip!

This episode was recorded in the Tearstream Mobile Recording Studio. Producer, Debbie O'Reilly. Sound Engineer, Keith Ullman. Theme music by Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. Research, Abby Forsythe. Follow me on Twitter at Terry O'Influence. See you next week. For external use only.

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