Cillit Bang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cillit Bang is a brand name for a range of cleaning products created by consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser. The products marketed under the brand name include a degreaser, cleaning crystals, and a grime and limescale remover.

1 Product contents
- 1.1 Cillit Bang Power Grime and Lime Cleaner Trigger
- 1.2 Cillit Bang Power Cleaning Crystal
2 Advertising campaign
3 Fan responses
4 Easy-Off BAM
5 External links

[edit] Product contents

[edit] Cillit Bang Power Grime and Lime Cleaner Trigger

The Cillit Bang Power Grime and Lime Cleaner Trigger product contains two acids: sulfamic acid and phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid (also known as orthophosphoric acid or phosphoric (V) acid) is a weak mineral acid with the chemical formula H₃P O₄ and is used by direct application to rusted iron or steel tools or surfaces to convert iron (III) oxide (rust) to a water soluble phosphate compound.

Cillit Bang Grime & Lime can be used on: Glass, acrylic plastic, ceramics (wash basins, toilet bowls etc), wall and floor tiles, pvc floor coating, chrome and kitchen sinks

Cillit Bang Grime & Lime should not be used on: Any acid sensitive material, such as marble or enamel, aluminium, copper, stone, zinc-plated metals, kitchen worktops, linoleum, varnished, waxed or oiled wood floors, rubber, textiles or carpets.

[edit] Cillit Bang Power Cleaning Crystal

The Cillit Bang Power Cleaning Crystal is a powder for cleaning strongly stained surfaces. It contains less than 5% of anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, 15-30% of sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate (the bleaching compound), and a perfume formula containing limonene. It is a skin irritant and can cause allergic reactions.

[edit] Advertising campaign

Barry displays the cleaning power of Cillit Bang on a British one penny coin.

UK advertisements are presented by the over-enthusiastic fictional character Barry Scott. Barry claims that Cillit Bang has the ability to remove limescale, rust and ground in dirt. In one version of the advert, Barry is joined by housewife Jill. After Barry places the copper coin in the Cillit Bang, Jill says "You love that one Barry" in remark of his favourite cleaning example.

In the UK advertisement, 'Barry' places a copper 1p coin in Cillit Bang to prove its cleaning ability - it is noted, however, that copper is listed on the back of Cillit Bang containers as a substance on which one should not use Cillit Bang. In the original adverts, 'Barry' uses a 5 Cent euro coin. However, within a few weeks, this was rectified and replaced with the 1p coin.

[edit] Fan responses

The garish television advertisement promoting the product in the UK has been the source of many spoofs, video remixes and fan sites on the Internet. Many believe this phenomenon to be an example of viral marketing by the product's manufacturers although the "hardcore remix", and subsequent video, which are popular on the Internet were created by JAKAZiD, an amused viewer, rather than a paid employee (see External Links for more details). Recently it was announced on a number of happy hardcore forums that JAKAZiD's remix is due to be officially released by the dance music record label Nukleuz as a CD single, 12" record and digital download.

In October 2005, a marketing company working for the Cillit Bang brand decided to exploit this enthusiasm on the web by starting a blog for Barry Scott and posting comments to other sites around the web. As part of this publicity campaign, the fictional character Barry Scott posted a 'sympathetic' comment on the site of UK weblogger Tom Coates, who was talking about a painful family reunion. The subsequent outrage at the apparent cynicism of the marketing reached the mass media. The company in question subsequently apologised unreservedly.

The popular British website Weebl's Stuff featured a parody of The Cillit Bang advertisements in the Weebl and Bob episode stains. The product Barry was 'advertising' is "Cilly Bang" a product that would remove difficult pie stains.

[edit] Easy-Off BAM

It is known in the USA, Canada, and Australia (albeit with less popularity) with similar packaging and spray bottle design as Easy-Off BAM. These versions of the advert use a different fictional presenter, known as Dan Dolan, although recent spots feature Barry Scott. He shows the same cleaning methods as Cillit Bang in addition to cleaning oil spills. Both of the two adverts use the same character, Dan Dolan, yet the actors are different between North America and Australia. The North American versions use the appropriate one cent coin (Lincoln cent in the U.S., a 1953–1964 one cent coin in Canada). The Canadian version also features a disclaimer: “The Royal Canadian Mint neither endorses the product nor the method shown for the cleaning of coins.”

Even though Easy-Off BAM is basically exactly the same as Cillit Bang, Easy-Off BAM takes 60 seconds to clean an old penny, whereas Cillit Bang only takes 10-15 seconds, according to both adverts for the Grime and Lime cleaner.