Shake 'n' Vac is a powdered carpet freshener. The powder is shaken onto the carpet before hoovering. It is currently marketed and sold in the United Kingdom by S. C. Johnson & Son.[1] The product becoming well known due to its famous TV commericial during the 1980's, with the advert being voted as one of the most popular TV adverts in Britain.[2]
The product, still available as of today[3], is primarily remembered for its iconic Dancing Woman TV advert shown until 1989. There has been some controversy over when the advert was first aired. The 100 Greatest TV Adverts programme stated that the ad was first broadcast in 1979, however it was the actual product that went on sale in 1979, with the advert not being aired until 1980 due to the 1979 ITV Strike.[4]
History of the product and advert
First going on air in 1980, the advert featured the English actor Jenny Logan,[5] dancing around a typical British living room in high heels, shaking the powder onto the carpet and hoovering it up, while singing a musical jingle. The main lyric is "do the Shake 'n' Vac, and put the freshness back".
The jingle was in a 1950s rock and roll retro style. This style was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s in the UK. In 2000, the advert polled 18th place in the Channel 4 The 100 Greatest TV Adverts programme.[6]
Long after the commerical ended, Jenny Logan also appeared on This Morning in 2004 as a guest to talk about the well-remembered advert.[7]
Controversy
The controversy was due to the ITV industrial action of 1979. Whilst the Shake 'n' Vac product was on sale in shops in 1979, the TV advertising was delayed to 1980.[8] This caused some confusion amongst pop culture researchers, who assumed that the arrival of the product on shop shelves and the TV advertisement both happened in the same year.
The early claim that the advert was originally broadcast in 1979 was disputed. Whilst some researchers pointed to 1980, others believed that the ad first appeared somewhat later. According to the book Box of Delights (ISBN 0333518128), it first appeared in 1985, and this was backed up by the earliest print reference to Shake 'n' Vac being a 1982 newspaper advert. However, it was argued that Ms Logan's clothing and hairstyle and the decor of the room featured in the ad pointed towards the ad being filmed in 1979/1980.
References
- ^ "S.C Johnson, Shake 'N' vac". SC johnson. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ Matthew Moore (2006-06-26). "Daily Telegraph, Shake n'Vac named most popular TV jingle". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "Choiceful.com Glade Citrus Bloom Shake 'N Vac". Retrieved 2008-03-23.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Quote=ignored (|quote=suggested) (help) - ^ "centuryads, launch of the shake' n ' vac advert". centuryads.blogspot.com. 2007-10-4. pp. one. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "The internet movie database, Jenny Logan's acting career". Internet movie database. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest TV adverts". DVDfever. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "The internet movie database, "This morning" 23rd June 2004". Internet movie database. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ "Marketing Intelligence Advertisers, Johnson wax". Marketing Intelligence Advertisers. Retrieved 2008-03-23.