9
Oh Crap!
Pampers Disposes of Its Competitors
In 1954, business was good for Procter & Gamble. Some 95 percent of homes had at least one P&G product. The company had an admirable track record of driving disruption. In the 1880s, it was Ivory, the soap that floats. In the 1910s, it was Crisco, the first shortening made with vegetable oil. In the 1940s, it was Tide, the “washday miracle.”
At the time, P&G was putting the final touches on Crest, a fluoride-based toothpaste that dramatically improved oral hygiene.* And still, the company was hungry for more. As the postwar baby boom and economic expansion provided further economic tailwinds, P&G established an Exploratory Development Division, headed by Victor Mills, a researcher who had previously ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access