When a Shaving Cream Company Offered To Send One Lucky Customer To Mars



In the early 1920s, foul-smelling liniments used for after shave were commonplace. That’s when Leonard Odell decided to come up with an alternative. Burma-Shave, as it was called, was made from essential oils that came from the Malay peninsula and Burma, and it turned out to be a goldmine in the men’s toiletries industry. It wasn't long before Burma-Shave became famous for their roadside advertisements — “Keep well to the right of the oncoming car……get your close shaves from Burma-Shave!” By 1955, the company was looking for a new hook. That’s when they came up with the idea to offer a trip to Mars to the first person to send in 900 empty Burma-Shave jars. Amazingly, Arliss French, a supermarket manager from Appleton, Wisc., did just that. The company was concerned, since they never believed anyone would really meet the challenge. That’s when Burma-Shave executives came up with the idea of telling French that the trip was to the Mars Candy Company in Chicago, along with an all-expense-paid weekend on the town. French and his wife showed up at Burma-Shave offices, empty jars in hand, ready for their trip to Chicago. Not only did Burma-Shave pay for the entire weekend, they also gave French a few complimentary jars of Burma-Shave. Of course, all good things come to an end — even Burma-Shave advertisements. The company was sold to Philip Morris, Inc. in 1963 and the roadside advertisements ended that year.