Only in the 1970s could a shaving cream commercial turn something as ordinary as shaving into entertainment!
And who better to star in it than Broadway Joe Namath?
By this time, Joe had already guaranteed a victory over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and then delivered. He was one of the biggest personalities in football, and his fame extended well beyond the playing field.
Then Noxzema came along and made getting creamed part of the act!
What really makes this commercial memorable is that catchy jingle. The music has a funky, almost theatrical sound, with a singer enthusiastically encouraging us to let Noxzema cream our faces so our razors wouldn’t.
I did some digging and found that an advertising-music retrospective identifies an uncredited studio singer behind the famous Namath jingle, although I couldn’t establish the singer’s name for this particular recording.
And the advertising worked well enough that Noxzema continued running Joe Namath commercials for more than three years.
According to the advertising agency’s historical account, they received surprisingly few complaints about the suggestive humor.
Another interesting thing is how many commercials Joe made over the years. In 1974, he even appeared in an advertisement for Beautymist pantyhose, wearing a pair himself!
That’s how big Broadway Joe had become. He could sell shaving cream, pantyhose and just about anything else advertisers put in front of him.
And more than 50 years later, we’re still watching him get creamed.
Do you remember these Noxzema commercials?
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