. >> the colgate-palmolive company, a fine product 130 years. >> reporter: clara lu n em, the first soaping drama into sales. >> a little while ago i urged you to get three cakes of palmolive soap. the beauty soap you can count on to safeguard the loveliness of your skin. >> reporter: so was the original entertainment ad. tell me about that. >> yeah. you know, soap operas themselves were produced by so many companies. >> how do we know whose child she's going to bear? bong lang's or dick's? >> reporter: the same happened on television selling dramatized love stories to boost sales. >> regular cleansing and this size of pure, mild ivory.y. >> reporteter: a new a age of consumerism ememerged. >> t the market became s so cocompetitive e that theyy h ha invevent new products, tell us that new rituals were necessary to our health in order to beat out the competition. >> i found something that makes you feel cleaner than soap. >> reporter: one point you're making that we have been over-soaped? >> i think that's pretty clear. at this point. seems that there are a good number of people who could