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Sapolio was a brand of soap noted for its advertising, led by Artemas Ward from 1883–1908. Bret Harte wrote jingles for the brand, and the sales force also included King Camp Gillette, who went on to create the Gillette safety razor and the razor and blades business model. Time magazine described Sapolio as "probably the world's best-advertised product" in its heyday.
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Sapolio was manufactured by Enoch Morgan's Sons Co. from 1869, and named by the family doctor.
Decline and disappearance
Sapolio is often cited in marketing and advertising studies as an example of the result of diminishing or discontinuing advertising. After decades of maintaining some of the best known advertising in the U.S., Sapolio's owners decided that their position was sufficiently insurmountable as to let them discontinue most advertising. Despite the brand's overwhelming market position, it was overtaken by competitors within a few years and disappeared from the market before World War II.
The soft drink Moxie is similarly cited because of its decision ca. 1930 to put its capital funds in sugar purchases instead of maintaining its popular and well-known advertising efforts. This lapse led directly to the final supremacy of Coca-Cola in the U.S. soft drink market.
Revival
In 1997, Sapolio was bought by the Peruvian company Intradevco Industrial SA. Intradevco is owner of the Sapolio brand in more than 80 countries. The Sapolio brand name is now used to market several cleaning products in Peru and Chile.