"That's a load of horseshit!" The remark shot out from Celia's side of the table before she had time to answer Orr. It came from young Bill Ingram, whose face had flushed red in sudden anger, matching his hair. He went on, "They are old products and we all know it, so what's wrong with saying so? No one's suggested discarding them, but they sure can stand jazzing up. So if we're going to have plain talk, the way Mrs. Jordan said, let's have it.”
There was an awkward silence which Kenneth Orr broke.”Well, well!" With an eyebrow raised, he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.”It seems that youth has spoken up for youth.”
He turned to Celia.”Do you mind?" "No. It may even help us progress.”
Behind Celia's attitude today was her opinion, gained from a study of Bray & Commonwealth files, that past advertising had been inhibited by overly cautious, status-quo policies, an inhibition she intended to shed. "To begin, I'd like to discuss Healthotherm," she told the others.”I believe the new advertising that's proposed, as well as our old advertising, takes the wrong approach.”
With a mental salute to Andrew, Celia went on, "All our advertisin g, going back years because I've checked, shows children smiling, feeling better, happier, after Healthotherm has been applied to them, rubbed on their chests.”
The account executive, Dexter Wilson, asked mildly, "Isn't that what's supposed to happen?" But Kenneth Off, watching Celia's face intently, waved his colleague to silence. "Yes, it happens," Celia answered.”But it isn't the children, happy or otherwise, who go into stores and buy Healthotherm. It's their mothers. Mothers who want to be good mothers, who want to do something to make their sick children feel better. Yet, in our advertising a mother is either not in view or is merely in the background. What I would like to see, right up front, is a happy mother, a relieved mother, a mother who, when her child was ill, did something to help and now feels good about it. We should use the same approach for the print media and television.”
Suddenly there were approving nods around the table. Celia wondered: Should she add Andrew's comment, "Maybe that's what Healthotherm is all about. It isn't for the kids at all; it's for their mothers.” She decided not. She also put resolutely from her mind Andrew's description, "that ancient greasy goo" which, he claimed, would do neither harm nor good. Kenneth Orr said slowly, "That's interesting. Very interesting.”
"It's more than interesting," Bill Ingram injected.”It's damn good. Do you think so, Howard?" The question was to Bladen, so now Celia had the missing first name. The young agency man nodded eagerly.”Sure do. What we'd have is a kid in the background-I guess you'd have to show one somewhere. But momma right up front, and not too smoothy a momma. Her hair a bit ruffled, maybe her dress a touch untidy. As if she'd been working, sweating, worrying, in the kid's sickroom.”
Ingram picked it up.”Yes, make her real
"But happy," Bladen said.”She's relieved, not worrying any more because she knows her kid's okay, thanks to Healthotherm. That's a must. Mrs. Jordan put her pinkie on it there.”
"We can work out the details," Orr observed. He smiled at Celia.”Mrs. Jordan, there seems a consensus that you have something promising.”
"And something else, Mrs. Jordan," Bill Ingram said.”At our end we ought to change the product a bit. Then we could call it 'New Healthotherm.'" The account executive, Dexter Wilson, nodded.”That always helps.”
"New Healthotherm.”
Teddy Upshaw mouthed the words as if trying them on, then affirmed, "Yep! Be good for our sales guys out front. Give 'em a new angle, something fresh to talk about.”
Grant Carvill, the Bray & Commonwealth marketing man, leaned forward. Celia had the impression he felt the decision process was passing him by, therefore he should say something. "Changing the product won't be difficult," Carvill volunteered.”The chemists do it by revising an ingredient. Just something minor, not critical, maybe a difference in the per-fume.”
"Great!" Bladen said.”Now we're cooking.”
In a separate compartment of her mind, Celia wondered if all this was really taking place, and how she would have felt about it only a short time ago. Well, she reasoned, for better or worse she had accepted Sam Hawthorne's advice and suspended critical judgments. How long would she have to go on doing it? If Teddy Upshaw was right in his prediction about her moving on from O-T-C, it would be merely for a year. Celia observed that Sam was smiling and wondered at what. Her thoughts returned to her responsibilities. Observing the two young men, Howard Bladen and Bill Ingram, Celia had an instinct about whom she would be working with closely in the future, both at Bray & Commonwealth and Quadrille-Brown Advertising.
Even in her most sanguine moments Celia had not expected her merchandising program for New Healthotherm-the "happymomma" plan, as it became known to company insiders-to produce the astounding results it did. As Teddy Upshaw declared cheerfully during a private session in her office, "Celia, baby, it's dynamite!" He added, "I knew all along you were good, but you turned out to be a friggin' genius.”
Within a month of launching a TV, radio and print campaign orchestrated by Quadrille-Brown Advertising, sales of Healthotherm had multiplied by six. Moreover, in the fourth week a fresh flood of wholesale orders made clear this was merely a beginning. Sure enough, within another month the previous high had doubled, with still further gains predicted. The success of Celia and New Healthotherm were duly noted at Felding-Roth corporate headquarters. Consequently, through the remainder of 1964 when plans were developed to revitalize other Bray & Commonwealth products, approval of the expense was automatic. As Sam Hawthorne explained, "We still want to know what's going on, Celia--after all, we might learn something over here--but while you continue producing, you'll be given freedom to operate your way.”
Celia's way consisted of creating new images for elderly, existing products. One of them had been known simply as B&C Shampoo. At Celia's suggestion the old name was retained, but in minuscule type with a large new added name-EMBRACE. Immediately below and almost as prominent was the slogan: As Gentle As Your Dream Lover. Not only was the slogan remembered by those who saw EMBRACE advertised, and those who bought it, but-to the delight of all concerned with sales-it was bandied around to become a national catchphrase. TV comics milked the line for laughs. Parodies appeared in newspapers-among them an editorial page feature in The Wall Street Journal, criticizing a White House tax plan and headed: No Gentle Embrace From Your Dream President
This, and more, brought EMBRACE shampoo unprecedented attention and sales exploded. Again, the Quadrille-Brown agency developed the advertising program for EMBRACE, but this time under the direction of Howard Bladen, promoted from assistant to full account executive. Young Bladen had also played a role in New Healthotherm, eventually eclipsing the earnest, worried Dexter Wilson who simply disappeared from view, so Celia never did learn whether he had left the agency or was pastured to a lesser account. Similarly, at the Bray & Commonwealth end of the equation, the youthful Bill Ingram had been moved up by Celia to become marketing director, replacing the veteran Grant Carvill. For Carvill another slot was found where he was now-as someone said unkindly-"counting paper clips until early retirement.”
Ingram, taking his cue from Celia, came up with innovative marketing ideas. It was Ingram, also, who brought to her the news that a small pharmaceutical firm in Michigan was available for purchase.”They have several products, Mrs. Jordan, but the only interesting one is System 5, a liquid cold medicine, a decongestant. As you know, that's a gap in our own line, something we don't have. If we could buy the Michigan company, dump their other products and take over System 5, we could build it into something big.”