Description |
SHIPPPING AVAILABLE > This copper patina metal trade token, measuring 1-3/8 inches in diameter and weighing 10.5 grams, features cast relief lettering on both sides.
Obverse: The inscription reads GOOD FOR ONE CAKE PALMOLIVE SOAP FREE WHEN YOU BUY ONE CAKE, promoting a buy-one-get-one-free offer. This side serves as a consumer incentive, likely distributed in the early 20th century by Palmolive to encourage product sales.
Reverse: The reverse side, addressed TO DEALERS, states the token can be redeemed at retail price only when the conditions on the obverse are met. It includes the company’s name, THE PALMOLIVE-PEET CO, CHICAGO, and a unique identifier, P-1009. This side would have assured storekeepers of the token's authenticity for redemption purposes.
These types of promotional tokens were commonly used by companies to increase brand loyalty and attract customers in the early days of consumer marketing.
History of the Palmolive-Peet Company
The Palmolive-Peet Company was the result of a 1926 merger between two prominent soap companies: Palmolive, which had grown popular thanks to a soap formula developed by B.J. Johnson in 1898 using palm and olive oils, and Peet Brothers, a soap manufacturer based in Kansas City. This soap became so successful that Palmolive was, at one point, the world’s best-selling soap.
In 1928, Palmolive-Peet merged with the Colgate Company, creating the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, which combined three of the largest soap and perfumery businesses in the United States at the time. By 1953, the company rebranded as Colgate-Palmolive, focusing its efforts on personal care, cleaning products, and pet nutrition, and expanding globally. Today, Colgate-Palmolive remains a major player in the consumer products industry, with well-known brands in oral care, personal care, and pet nutrition.
This merger marked a significant point in the evolution of consumer products, as the combined resources allowed Colgate-Palmolive-Peet to compete on a global scale, leveraging strong brand recognition and innovative marketing approaches to maintain a foothold in a highly competitive market.
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