Carl Jones, Senior Lecturer on the Public Relations and Advertising BA Honours course, was interviewed by BBC Two for their ‘Inside the Factory’ series about the history of the UK’s advertising landscape.
The special episode of the ‘Inside the Factory’ series examined how factories are keeping Britain going during the coronavirus pandemic. In the show, Carl Jones spoke about why even in the midst of panic buying, toilet paper still needs advertising.
He spoke with historian Ruth Goodman about the link between Labrador puppies and Andrex toilet paper and how the original commercial became a global hit.
He said: “The original idea by the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson was a child running with the roll of toilet paper and the regulators thought that it produced the idea of wastefulness and that children would be encouraged to waste. The agency went back and came up with this idea of small innocent dog that took the toilet paper and ran with it.”
He added: “It shows an idealised word and how this is what life could be like if you buy this product and bring it home.”
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