The Evolution of Tide's Advertising

We often analyze modern advertising trends to see how we can better develop strategic branding campaigns. Today, let’s look at a few older Tide ads to see how they have changed in comparison to ads from today.

1. Early Ads 1950s-1960s

Instance A: Early ads marketed Tide as giving the “Cleanest clothes in town with a new washday miracle!” We can see an early form of the Tide logo that is designed to stand out in black and white. There was a catchy jingle about Tide presenting The Red Skelton Show throughout the early years of the show before each introduction. Throughout many episodes, there would be product placements throughout several different skits.

Instance B: This 1960 ad shows a moving man spilling chocolate on his client’s curtains. She rushes to put them in the wash, educating the man on the power of Tide, and then ends the commercial with the curtains clean and put where they belong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-K59ywj5Q

2. 1970’s

This commercial from the early 70s features the same style of brand positioning Tide had previously, focusing on advertising to mothers in need of a reliable detergent. By focusing on tough stains made by kids, they interject relatability into their strategy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmAoia41O_Q

3. 1980s

In the 1980s, Tide repositioned themselves very little, deciding to stay with their already successful target market: mothers and housewives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39DmZiAUeCc

4. 1990s

With Ultra Tide being released in 1991, one commercial reflected on how it sounds too good to be true. This ad is much more reminiscent of current marketing trends, and it feels frozen in time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1NyY_XwQbE

5. Modern Tide Ads (2023)

Today, Tide has greatly diversified their advertising portfolio to be much more inclusive of all family types while still focusing on the overall efficiency of their offerings. A collaboration with MythBusters through their “Turn to Cold,” campaign shows that Tide cleans in cold water better than their leading competitors.

What kind of laundry detergent do you use? Do you think that advertising tactics by different brands influence which detergent you buy? Let us know in the comments and check out Meeman 901 for more content like this! #meeman901