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Ah, that effervescent plop of miraculous relief that is an Alka-Seltzer. Splash a couple in a glass of water and relief is on the way. For over 70 years, this combination of aspirin, baking soda and citrus acid has provided effective relief for headaches, stomach indigestion and (as the company touted in 1931) even hangovers.
Taking advantage of the television medium and its advertising power, Alka-Seltzer has used a variety of slogans over the years to ingrain the product name into our collective aching heads. One of the earliest mascots was the loveable Speedy. Possibly a boy, possibly something a bit more elfin, Speedy had an Alka-Seltzer torso – and a matching hat to complete the look.
As endearing as Speedy might have been, however, sales were declining. Part of this was due to the fact that Alka-Seltzer was seen primarily as a remedy for self-indulgence, which had rather negative connotations. The minds that marketed the product quickly set out to find alternate reasons for people to plop-plop fizz-fizz. Sixteen commercials were made, each featuring a different incentive to take an Alka-Seltzer. One of these, which simply showed a glass of water and two tablets plopping forth, was part of an interesting marketing ploy. Up until that point, the recommended dosage had been only one tablet. But, if you couldn’t make your product more popular, perhaps you could at least get those that used it to double their dosage. It was ingenious and it led to one of the most effective advertising slogans of all time: “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz –Oh, what a relief it is!” The slogan took care of the popularity problem.
Marketing didn’t rest on their laurels, however, and many other memorable campaigns would follow. One particular jingle from a 60’s ad, “Whatever Shape Your Stomach’s In,” recorded by the T-Bones, went on to become a hit in 1966. The 70’s brought such unforgettable slogans as “Mamma Mia, that’s a spicy meatball” and “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” into, not only every living room in America, but just about every dining room as well. Folks that lived through this time period can tell you; it was near impossible to serve a plate of spaghetti and meatballs without hearing one of these phrases uttered at the dinner table. Such is the power of advertising.
Over the years, Alka-Seltzer has made a number of changes to their product to keep up with the times. For one thing, the glass tube containers gave way to foil packages. The aspirin was eventually replaced with substitutes such as acetaminophen. And the introduction of a new line of cold remedies, known as Alka-Seltzer Plus, helped the company compete with the likes of Robitussin and Ny-Quil.
Oh, but what a relief its been all these years – whether there was over-indulgence involved, or just a little upset stomach, it’s hard to top the fizzy, effervescent goodness of an Alka-Seltzer… or two.
