| Everything
you wanted to know about Cillit Bang!
This FAQ is very much
work in progress! Contributions welcome - [email protected]
Is this product real?
Yes. It is a hard surface cleaner manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser (a
large international company who also make Finish and French's Mustard
amongst other things).It is a British company, formed when Reckitt &
Colman (of mustard fame, since sold off) bought Dutch firm Benckiser.
Where can I buy Cillit
Bang?
Your best bets are large chain supermarkets, or cash and carry stores
such as Costco and Makro. Check out these forums for Cillit Bang in-store
sightings: The
Ulterior, o2Kiosk
and somefoolwitha
Who the hell are you?
I am just a guy who has been enthused by the hype and has decided to make
100 Cillit Bang t-shirts. My
motivations are boredom and a morbid fascination for this engaging advert
and the lurid colours of the product package.
What is all the hype
about Cillit Bang?
Good question. The combination of ridiculous product name, lairy packaging,
and the utter brilliance of the TV ad make people type "Cillit Bang"
into Google and post articles on their blogs describing the advert. The
rest is history.
Is this ad supposed
to be serious? Why call it "Cillit Bang"?
We may never know. It could be brilliantly clever advertising or simply
very low budgeted. The UK ad that we know and love is comprised mostly
of clips of the product in action that were previously shot in Germany.
They have then added "Barry Scott" to front the commercial.
Here is an excerpt form the Daily Record Online:
Tom Corran, senior
vice president of Reckitt Benckiser in the UK, said: 'We added the word
BANG to Cillit because it describes the product well. It conveys its power
to solve tough, stubborn stains.
'The ad isn't
necessarily meant to look like a spoof, that is in the eye of the beholder.
It is just to catch the eye.'
"Cillit"
is tha name of the range of waxes already available in Europe.
What about www.cillitbang.co.uk
?
This is a site set up by an independent BMX/street wear store in Scotland
http://www.oddballmall.co.uk/ to drive traffic to their store. They have
nothing to do with creating the advert and are just cleverly capitalising
on the hype.
Who is Barry Scott?
The fictitious character who voice-overs and stars in the UK advert. Presumably
the name was created by the genius advertising team who needed a plain,
trustworthy and punchy name. The actor's name is Neil Burgess and he has
also recently appeared in the Brian McFadden (ex Westlife) video. http://www.brian-mcfadden.com/pictures/postcards.php?image_id=747
Who made this advert?
The UK advert was produced by J Walter Thompson, London. JWT is one of
the largest and most awarded ad agencies in the world. Their website is
here: http://www.jwt.com
The Budapest JWT office created the initial advert, which has been dubbed
into other European languages, but was re-shot for the UK with Barry Scott.
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