Jan Miner, other wise known as Palmolive’s Madge the Manicurist in the long running ad campaign, has died at age 86. Miner would comfort beauty salon customers in the ads who where at first shocked to realize their hands where being soaked in dish washing detergent telling them, “Relax. It’s Palmolive.”
Miner died this past Sunday. She was born on Oct. 15, 1917, in Boston, the daughter of a dentist and a painter. She studied at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston and trained for the stage with Lee Strasberg, among others.
It’s sad that most current advertisers don’t realize the power of sticking with a brand position over time and change positioning and agencies on a wim. In the past ten years have there been any campaigns that have instilled imagery as powerful as the Jolly Green Giant or Captain Crunch or Ronald McDonald? No, the standard is to have a gerbil shot out of a cannon or a dog bite a guy’s crotch to shock consumers into remembering the commercial. But, that’s exactly the problem with that tactic. Consumers remember the ad and not the brand.
