Miller Lite is known simply as Lite Beer….which is an 4.2% ABV American light pale lager sold by MillerCoors of Milwaukee, Wisconsin….whose major competitor is Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light beer. What allowed Lite Beer to compete with the mega-giants Bud Light was the advertising campaign that started back in the late-1960’s and continued all the way through the decade of the 1990’s….where personalities from the world of sports were used in various situations where some of the well known sports personalities would be on the TASTE GREAT side of the argument…..while others would be on the LESS FILLING side of the argument. Ken Brett, the pitch man for Lite Beer in this commercial….was the “not nearly as famous or good brother” brother of future Hall of Famer George Brett….but he was well known for the traveling throughout the major leagues after having been traded to and having played for 10 different MLB teams in his 14 year career.
The NCR Corporation (originally National Cash Register) is an American computer hardware, software, and electronics company that makes self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check processing systems, barcode scanners and business consumables. NCR was founded in 1884…which means this particular advertisement was showcasing one of their first products, the NCR computer. NCR was aquired by AT&T in 1991…..as the restructuring of AT&T in 1996 led to NCR’s re-establishment on January 1,1997 as a separate company and involved the spin-off of Lucent Technologies from AT&T. NCR is the only AT&T spin-off company that has retained its original name—all the others have either been purchased or renamed following subsequent mergers. NCR having Dom Deluise as the original spokesperson for their computers was due to his popularity at the time…..as he was well known as an American actor, voice actor, comedian, chef and author. Deluise was the husband of actress Carol Arthur….as well as the father of actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise and actors David DeLuise and Michael DeLuise…..who starred in a number of movies directed by Mel Brooks….in a series of films with career-long best friend Burt Reynolds…..and as a voice actor in various animated films by Don Bluth.
Right Guard is a brand of deodorant and shower gel for men….which is manufactured by the Henkel North American Consumer Goods unit of Henkel…..which acquired the brand in 2006 as a condition for acquisition because Proctor & Gamble already owned the deodorant brands Sure and Old Spice. Right Guard is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category. The Gillette Company introduced Right Guard as the first aerosol antiperspirant in the early 1960’s.
Gillette Foamy Gell was an up-sale product to complement the Gillette line of razor blades and razors….as their advertisements always featured a shirtless hairy-chested male model with a towel wrapped around his waste…..as he applied the foamy gel in anticipation of the shave to come.
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Samuel Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company was a pioneer in the mass production of tires….and with Harvey Firestone’s friendship with Henry Ford….Firestone used this relationship to become the original equipment supplier of Ford Motor Company automobiles….and was also active in the replacement market. In 1988, the company was sold to the Japanese Bridgestone Corporation.
