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Though P. & G. still turns out some 500 million bars of Ivory Soap a year—enough to give everyone in the world four baths—Tide was soon revolutionizing the washday habits of the U.S., and the tide of revolution began to sweep soap flakes and granules on .to the back shelves. Among the hardest hit was P. & G.'s own Oxydol, long a top national seller with the devoted followers of Ma Perkins. Distressed at their falling sales, Oxydol men scurried to the P. & G. research people who had caused all the havoc by their development of Tide. Could they do something for Oxydol? No soap, said the research department; detergents are the coming thing. Well, then, how about letting Oxydol in on the bonanza? President McElroy agreed, and the product was converted. "New Detergent Oxydol" has since climbed back to fourth place among washday products, is still growing.
Tide continued to grow so fast that last year Neil McElroy supplied it with some more competition. He brought out Cheer, another detergent, which settled into second place (third: Colgate's Fab). Opening the Door. The revolution that P. & G. fathered not only gave its old-fashioned soaps new competition, it opened the door to competition for the whole soap industry from the chemical makers, who supplied many of the raw materials for the detergents. Monsanto, backed by huge research funds, introduced All, persuaded washing-machine makers to hand it out to their customers. General Aniline brought out Glim, a liquid detergent for dishwashing.
To counteract such competition in detergents, Neil McElroy last week was test-marketing a whole list of new products: Lana, a home permanent for bleached or frizzled hair; Fluffo, a new shortening to compete with P. & G.'s famed Crisco; Gleem, a new toothpaste "for people who can't brush after every meal" (P. & G. is sure that includes just about everybody); Zest, a detergent bar for baths and showers.
Bright Young Men. For all his high-powered selling methods, the nation's No. 1 soap salesman is no backslapping glad-hander in the tradition of the American drummer. At 48, Neil McElroy, a towering 6 ft. 4 in., given to conservative clothes, is a methodical man, with a quick smile and the unruffled air of a winning poker player. His wavy hair is greying, his blue eyes sharp. He keeps his 210 Ibs. in trim shape with plenty of tennis.