What Happened to 99 and 44/100 ths percent pure?

[cathyr19355]

I was in a local supermarket last night, and a quick look at a random display in the drug store aisle showed me that Ivory soap now comes in flavors.

I don't mean that you're supposed to *eat* the soap. No, I mean that Ivory now comes in two different varieties (in addition to the blocky white "99 and 44/100 ths percent pure" bar I've seen in stores since childhood, and that the company's website claims that they've been making and selling for 125 years). There's a light green variety that claims to be made with aloe vera and a lavender-colored one that's scented with (surprise!) lavender.

I don't understand this. Every company and its mascot has been engaged in coming up with an endless variety of different soaps, toothpastes, shampoos, conditioners, and other cleansing items for more than a decade now. Ivory soap had made itself *distinctive* by not playing the "more varieties" game. Why on earth have they changed now?

Although I have to admit that the idea of lavender-scented soap at Ivory soap prices is kind of neat.

Comments

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

They dertainly do still make liquid hand soap; it's featured on the company website. But that wasn't my point. It's one thing to come out with new products to be sold under an old, popular brand name. It's quite another to offer your 125-year-old product in different "flavors." Ivory sold its product on purity and on not *having* frills; this is a reversal of that decision.

You said, "it is jarring for them to use the Ivory name for anything that isn't just soap, or aerated soap." Maybe, but I think that doing that is at least a reasonable way to experiment or branch out into new business areas. What I find difficult to understand is to sell aerated Ivory bar soap that no longer looks and smells like Ivory bar soap because it comes in colors and scents.

[tafkad.livejournal.com]

For example, 7-Up briefly had a caffienated product, despite their long-running "Caffiene? Never had it, never will" ad campaign.

[stevenehrbar.livejournal.com]

Well, IIRC, the caffinated product was dnL, the whole point of which was that it was the anti-7up. If Ivory was selling scented-colored soap under the name, er, "hJo^I" . . .

Hmm. 7up is the uncola. dnL was the anti-7up (and thus an anti-uncola), but it wasn't a cola. So, there should probably be a distinct-from-7up anti-cola, . . .

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

Maybe 7-Up and the anti-7-Up destroyed each other in a matter-anti-matter (anti-cola/anti-anti cola?) collision. :-)

[cathyr19355.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're right. The fact that we don't have caffienated 7-Up now shows what a bad idea that was. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is often very good advice in the marketing area.