Charmin Explained

Charmin
Type:Toilet paper
Currentowner:Procter & Gamble
Origin:United States
Related:Bounty, Puffs, Pampers
Markets:North America
Ambassadors:Mr. Whipple (Dick Wilson)
Tagline:"Enjoy the go"
Website:www.charmin.com

Charmin is an American brand of toilet paper that was launched on 1928, and it is currently owned by Procter & Gamble.

History

The Charmin name was first created on April 19, 1928, by the Hoberg Paper Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1950, Hoberg changed its name to Charmin Paper Company and continued to produce bath tissue, paper napkins, and other paper products. Procter & Gamble (P&G) acquired Charmin Paper Company in 1957.[1] Charmin Ultra was originally called White Cloud until 1993.[2]

In 2008, P&G sold the European operations and product line to SCA, where it was renamed to Cushelle.[3]

Advertising

Originally, the manufacturer wanted to emphasize the product's softness, but did not know how to convey the idea of that physical sensation on television. The company's advertising agency suggested that shoppers be encouraged to squeeze the product in stores like a grocery shopper would squeeze a tomato to assess its softness, but there was some concern that retailers would object to customers manhandling their merchandise and thus damaging it before purchase. The problem was solved with the concept that the handling would be actively discouraged by a comic antagonistic retailer in the advertisements.[4] In an advertising campaign that lasted over twenty years, American advertisements featured actor Dick Wilson, playing the fictional grocer Mr. George Whipple.[5] Mr. Whipple told his customers: "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!", emphasizing its softness in more than 500 advertisements between 1964 and 1985,[6] and later returning in 1999–2000.

The country song "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon", which was a minor hit for Charlie Walker in 1967, was inspired by the ad campaign for Charmin.

Mascots

In 1928, the logo mascot was a female silhouette,[7] supplemented by a baby in 1953, replacing the woman by 1956.[8]

In advertisements, Mr. Whipple was eventually replaced with "The Charmin Bear", created by D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in Britain and introduced to the United States in 2000.[9] The original bear was not 3D-animated and had a light brown/tan color.

In 2001, three cubs were added to the family, and by 2007, a blue bear was introduced for the "soft" brand and a red bear for the "strong" brand.[10] The bears later became part of the packaging, replacing the baby in 2004.

The new animated advertising campaign was called "Call of Nature".[11]

In 2010, the company changed the logo to add flecks of toilet paper to the bears in the logo.[12]

The "Charmin Bears"[13] is a collective family of parents and children.[14] Initially there was just one family of brown bears, with Leonard the Bear[15] accompanied by Molly,[16] Bill,[17] Amy and Dylan.[18] This was later split into distinct families of bears: five blue ones called the "Charmin Ultra Soft Family" and five red ones called the "Charmin Ultra Strong Family".[19]

Environmental impact

In February 2009,[20] Greenpeace advised consumers not to use Charmin toilet paper, stating that it is bad for the environment.[21]

As of 2018, Charmin is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance.[22]

The NRDC and stand.earth issued a report in 2019 saying that Charmin toilet paper was still being manufactured almost exclusively from forest fiber, much of it sourced from Canada's boreal forest.[23] By November 2019, NRDC claimed that 201,000 people had signed its petition to Procter & Gamble asking the company to change its practices.[24]

Design

Beginning in October 2023, P&G announced that it would introduce a new design of Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper, this time with scalloped edges[25] in response to complaints about the former toilet paper design—which was composed of squares with straight edges—not tearing smoothly.[26]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter and Gamble . Harvard Business Press . May 1, 2004 . 2013-05-07 . Davis, Dyer . 421. 9781591391470 . etal.
  2. Web site: P.& G. Sacrifices White Cloud in Battle of Brands . 6 May 1993 . Stuart . Elliot . . White Cloud will be rechristened Charmin Ultra.
  3. Web site: Baker . Rosie . 2010-01-25 . Charmin rebrands to Cushelle . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624213808/https://www.marketingweek.com/charmin-rebrands-to-cushelle/ . 2021-06-24 . 2023-06-22 . Marketing Week . en.
  4. News: O'Reilly . Terry . Small Move, Big Gain . 14 February 2016 . Under the Influence . . 14 February 2016.
  5. Book: Cross . Mary . A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture . 2002 . Greenwood Press . 978-0313314810 . 4 September 2020 . 140–141.
  6. Web site: The Associated Press: Actor Who Played Mr. Whipple Dies . 2007-11-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071121170633/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jykyF_SSoGg97nrQ-hpWIZUhxLMwD8T0SMB00 . 2007-11-21 . Associated Press report, November 19, 2007 ("Wilson appeared in over 500 commercials for Charmin between 1964 and 1985"), accessed same day.
  7. Web site: . Great Moments in Toilet Paper History . 23 April 2002 . 1928: From Charming to Charmin—Hoberg paper introduces Charmin. The logo—a woman's head from a cameo pin—was designed to appeal to feminine fashions of the day. A female employee called the packaging 'charming', and the product's brand name was born..
  8. Web site: . What Do Bears Have To Do With Toilet Paper? . Daniel . Engber . 19 September 2011 . The Charmin brand got its start in 1928 with a woman's cameo silhouette on the package ... In 1953, Charmin further softened its image by placing a baby alongside the woman. In 1956, the Charmin Lady was bounced altogether, leaving the baby to fend for itself as the brand icon..
  9. Web site: . An animated soap drop with sales experience in Latin America is being put to work in the U.S. . 17 July 2003 . Jane . Levere . The Charmin bear, which Procter & Gamble has used since 2000 in United States campaigns for Charmin toilet paper, originated in Britain..
  10. Web site: Charmin Story . Charmin.com . 12 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160412155405/http://ca.charmin.com/en-ca/about-us/charmin-history . live . 2001—The Charmin animated bears welcomed three bear cubs to the family ... 2007 ... The 'Call of Nature' bear campaign featured a red bear for Charmin Ultra Strong and a blue bear for Charmin Ultra Soft..
  11. Web site: History Of Toilet Paper . Charmin.com . In the 1950s, Hoberg changed their name to the Charmin Paper Company. Charmin changed the 'Charmin lady' on the packaging to the 'Charmin baby' to symbolize the ultimate in softness. This would be followed by the famous ad campaign of the [1960s and 1970s] admonishing women and men around the country with 'don't squeeze the Charmin!' to highlight the paper's tempting squeezability. Ultimately, the company landed on a campaign called 'Call of Nature' featuring an outspoken family of animated bears who are unafraid of talking about 'the go' and how to enjoy it. . https://web.archive.org/web/20150814043530/http://www.charmin.com/en-us/about-us/history-of-toilet-paper . 14 August 2015 . live.
  12. Web site: . NAD to Charmin: No Bare Bear Bottoms . Jack . Neff . 12 August 2010 . P&G Must Show Some Pieces of TP on Bruin's Bums.
  13. Web site: . Can the Charmin Bears Get Through Airport Security? . 2 July 2014 . Among the new releases, Charmin's family of bears makes its way through airport security.
  14. Web site: . Charmin Bear Reads Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' on the Toilet in New Ad . Stephanie . Butnik . 13 August 2013 . the Charmin ads featuring the family of bears whose little ones seem to always be getting toilet paper stuck to their bottoms.
  15. Book: Brown, Stephen . Brands and Branding . SAGE . 17 August 2016 . 72 . 9781473988040 . Charmin's brand mascot, Leonard the Bear.
  16. Charmin . 592705751459725312 . 27 April 2015 . There was free Wi-Fi on the flight, so Molly was able to #tweetfromtheseat . https://archive.today/20170120020716/https://twitter.com/Charmin/status/592705751459725312 . 20 January 2017 . live.
  17. Charmin . 592728175878270977 . In the car on their way to visit Bill, the family belts out the classic '99 rolls of TP in the Stall.' . 27 April 2015 . https://archive.today/20170120020907/https://twitter.com/Charmin/status/592728175878270977 . 20 January 2017 . live.
  18. Book: Heller, Steven . Graphic Design Rants and Raves: Bon Mots on Persuasion, Entertainment, Education, Culture, and Practice . Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. . 3 January 2017 . 207 . 9781621535393 . Whoever thought of the Charmin Bears (named Molly, Leonard, Bill, Amy, and Dylan, for the record) understood that cute adds wit to the bodily function conversation..
  19. Web site: Meet the Charmin Iconic Bears . Charmin.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20150409231745/http://www.charmin.com/en-us/about-us/meet-the-bears . 9 April 2015 . live.
  20. Paul . Nastu . February 25, 2009 . Greenpeace Releases Latest Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide . Greenpeace . 16 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161113194923/http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/02/25/greenpeace-releases-latest-recycled-tissue-and-toilet-paper-guide/ . 13 November 2016 . dead .
  21. Web site: Greenpeace Recycled Tissue and Toilet Paper Guide . https://web.archive.org/web/20090302130814/http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/assets/binaries/tissue-guide-view-at-a-glance . 2009-03-02 . dead . PDF . Greenpeace . 16 October 2018.
  22. Web site: Charmin Toilet Paper & FlushableWipes Sustainability. www.charmin.com. en-US. 2019-07-11.
  23. Web site: The Issue with Tissue: How Americans Are Flushing Forests Down the Toilet. 8 October 2019. Natural Resources Defense Council. 25 November 2019.
  24. Web site: Tell Charmin: Nature's Calling, and She Wants Her Forests Back!. 8 October 2019. NRDC. 25 November 2019.
  25. Web site: Snider . Mike . 4 October 2023 . Charmin Changes up its Toilet Paper, Trading in Straight Perforations for Wavy Tears . 24 November 2023 . USA Today.
  26. Web site: Tyko . Kelly . Bomey . Nathan . 17 October 2023 . Charmin Rolls Out New Toilet Paper Rip-Off Technology . 24 November 2023 . Axios.

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