Wisk
Product type | Laundry detergent |
---|---|
Owner | Henkel |
Land | Vereinigte Staaten |
Introduced | 1956 |
Discontinued | 2017 |
Markets | United States, Canada |
Previous owners | Unilever |
Tagline | Ring Around The Collar |
Website | http://www.wisk.com |
Wisk was a brand of laundry detergent manufactured in the United States by Unilever (1956 to 2008) and Sun Products (2008 to 2017).
History
Wisk was introduced in the United States by Lever Brothers Company in 1956 as the first liquid laundry detergent.[1]
In 2008, Wisk was purchased by Vestar Capital Partners after Lever Brothers' parent company Unilever divested its North American laundry brands and combined with Vestar Capital Partners' Huish Detergents, Inc. to form The Sun Products Corporation.[2]
In 2010, Wisk was re-launched with a new formulation with new packaging, featuring its new Stain Spectrum Technology and its ability to fight tough stains. A new advertising campaign was also launched, that features the "science of stain fighting". The brand came in a variety of formulations, including "Deep Clean", "High Efficiency", "Fresh Boost" and "Oxi Complete".[3]
In June 2016, Henkel acquired Sun Products and discontinued the brand in favor of its own Persil brand, another laundry detergent.
Marketing
The brand was widely known for its successful "Ring Around The Collar" campaign introduced in 1968, spotlighting sometimes-difficult to treat stains that appeared on shirt collars, and the product's ability to help fight them. The campaign received significant criticism decades later for being misogynistic, with the implication that it was the fault of wives for letting their husbands leave home with dirty collars.[4][5]
References
- ^ History of Wisk
- ^ Jones, David (July 28, 2008). "Unilever sells North American laundry unit to Vestar". Reuters. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Products
- ^ DeWolf, Rose (May 4, 1987). "Ads With A Familiar Ring: Wisk Makers Say Commercials Will Retain Famous Tag Line". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ Cohen, Joyce (January 10, 2010). "A Place With a Certain Something". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.