Domestos
Encyclopedia
Domestos is a household cleaning range which contains bleach
(primarily sodium hypochlorite NaOCl) and is manufactured by Unilever
. Its power is due to its high availability of chlorine
(nominally 500,000 ppm, compared with 50,000 or less for other domestic bleaches}.
.
in which a Domestos bottle moved slowly around a bathroom in the style of a cowboy as nearby loo brushes and ornaments hid nervously. The bottle went under the name of "Big Bad Dom". The advert was produced using CGI
. The advertising slogan for this campaign claimed that Domestos "Kills all known germs. Dead."
In 2002 a short lived campaign featured former Big Brother
contestant Alex Sibley appeared in a commercial lampooning his own obsession of cleanliness and an incident in the house where Alex mimes to the tune That's the Way (I Like It)
by KC and the Sunshine Band
. In the advert Alex is seen cleaning the Big Brother toilet with Domestos whilst miming to the same song. Domestos was hoping the popularity of Big Brother would help sell their product , however by 2003 Domestos were in trouble and looking for other ways to improve their marketing campaign.
In 2005, various commercial
s for different Domestos brands were shown on British television, with computer generated germ
s made to represent Salmonella
, E.Coli
and Staphylococcus
. Each germ asserted their plans to inflict suffering, sometimes in parody of well known films such as The Godfather
, before being wiped out by a specific brand of Domestos. The advertising slogans for this campaign are "Domestos - Millions of Germs Will Die" for Standard Domestos, and "Millions more germs will die" for 5x Longer Domestos.
The 5x Longer Domestos advert shows a germ cheerfully skipping and singing a song in a very deep American voice, reminiscent of narration in horror movie trailers.
Sung to the tune of London bridge is falling down
, the lyrics were:
The commercial ends with a voiceover of the slogan, read by famous British actor Patrick Stewart
.
The staple of CGI germs remains in Domestos adverts since then, and each advert is used to promote specific Domestos products.
and the Philippines
and is marketed with the claim of a "one-stop solution" to a household's cleaning requirements instead of using a different cleaner for kitchen surface, floor and bathroom. In Japan
, the brand name Domesuto (ドメスト) is known as a popular toilet cleaner. In the Netherlands
, Domestos is sold under the name "Glorix", while in Vietnam
it is known as "Vim", and in other countries as "Klinex".
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
(primarily sodium hypochlorite NaOCl) and is manufactured by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
. Its power is due to its high availability of chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
(nominally 500,000 ppm, compared with 50,000 or less for other domestic bleaches}.
History
Domestos was first produced in 1929 by Wilfred Handley, an industrial chemist from the North East of England. The product was originally sold door-to-door by salesmen who refilled stoneware jars bought by the customers. In 1961, the company was acquired by Lever BrothersLever Brothers
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturer founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever . The brothers had invested in and promoted a new soap making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson, it was a huge success...
.
Product range
- Thick Bleach - "with a variety of fragrances" - rebranded as "Domestos 24HR", with a reformulation to give "24hr protection from flying germs."
- Domestos 5x - "a bleach which lasts 5x longer than any other bleach or toilet cleaner" - Discontinued
- Sink and Pipe Unblocker
- Domestos Blocks
- Domestos Hygenic Wipes
- Domestos Bleach Cleaning Spray
- Domestos Zero Limescale - "an extra thick bleach that works below the water line to destroy limescale underwater"
- Domestos Total Blast - a toilet gel that "helps prevent tough dirt from sticking."
- Domestos Germ Blaster - a rimblock cage utensil that "kills germs as it freshens."
Marketing
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Domestos marketing campaign featured a mock of a scene from the film Big Bad JohnBig Bad John
"Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean and composed by Dean and Roy Acuff. Released in September 1961, by the beginning of November it went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording.The song and its...
in which a Domestos bottle moved slowly around a bathroom in the style of a cowboy as nearby loo brushes and ornaments hid nervously. The bottle went under the name of "Big Bad Dom". The advert was produced using CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
. The advertising slogan for this campaign claimed that Domestos "Kills all known germs. Dead."
In 2002 a short lived campaign featured former Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
contestant Alex Sibley appeared in a commercial lampooning his own obsession of cleanliness and an incident in the house where Alex mimes to the tune That's the Way (I Like It)
That's the Way (I Like It)
"That's the Way " is a song written by H.W. Casey and Richard Finch, and recorded and released in 1975 by KC and the Sunshine Band for their eponymous second album...
by KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
. In the advert Alex is seen cleaning the Big Brother toilet with Domestos whilst miming to the same song. Domestos was hoping the popularity of Big Brother would help sell their product , however by 2003 Domestos were in trouble and looking for other ways to improve their marketing campaign.
In 2005, various commercial
Radio commercial
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%. Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing...
s for different Domestos brands were shown on British television, with computer generated germ
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...
s made to represent Salmonella
Salmonella
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria with diameters around 0.7 to 1.5 µm, lengths from 2 to 5 µm, and flagella which grade in all directions . They are chemoorganotrophs, obtaining their energy from oxidation and reduction...
, E.Coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms . Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some serotypes can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for product recalls...
and Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus
Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Under the microscope they appear round , and form in grape-like clusters....
. Each germ asserted their plans to inflict suffering, sometimes in parody of well known films such as The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, before being wiped out by a specific brand of Domestos. The advertising slogans for this campaign are "Domestos - Millions of Germs Will Die" for Standard Domestos, and "Millions more germs will die" for 5x Longer Domestos.
The 5x Longer Domestos advert shows a germ cheerfully skipping and singing a song in a very deep American voice, reminiscent of narration in horror movie trailers.
Sung to the tune of London bridge is falling down
London Bridge is Falling Down
"London Bridge Is Falling Down" is a well-known traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 502.-Lyrics:...
, the lyrics were:
"I'm going to make some people vom,
People vom, people vom.
Spew their guts and cry to mom,
Ain't that pretty?
I'm going to give them diarrhoea, diarrhoea, diarrhoea..."
The commercial ends with a voiceover of the slogan, read by famous British actor Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
.
The staple of CGI germs remains in Domestos adverts since then, and each advert is used to promote specific Domestos products.
In other countries
Domestos is known as Domex in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and is marketed with the claim of a "one-stop solution" to a household's cleaning requirements instead of using a different cleaner for kitchen surface, floor and bathroom. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the brand name Domesuto (ドメスト) is known as a popular toilet cleaner. In the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Domestos is sold under the name "Glorix", while in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
it is known as "Vim", and in other countries as "Klinex".