Daz (detergent)
Encyclopedia
Daz is the name of a popular laundry detergent
on the market in the United Kingdom
and Ireland
. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble
and is lower priced than P&G's main brand, Ariel
. Aggressively marketed, it is associated in popular culture with the "Daz Doorstep Challenge" series of commercials, which saw various 'hosts' including Danny Baker
, Shane Richie
and Michael Barrymore
surprising house occupiers at the door and asking them to put Daz to the test against a rival detergent. The advert was famously spoofed by Dom Joly
in the British
sketch series Trigger Happy TV
where Dom would knock on doors presenting the 'zap mega' challenge. He then ran from the scene with the crew in tow, arms akimbo, legs flailing while the occupier went to retrieve a white garment. The occupier then returned to the door looking bemused. The advert was also spoofed in a John Smith's advertising campaign featuring Peter Kay
. Recent TV commercials are set in an obviously fictitious "Cleaner Close" soap opera
.
Daz also makes "Daz tablets" and Daz in liquid form.
Other episodes have a character who do not use Daz which causes them problems, which are solved by a character who uses Daz. Cleaner Close seems to be a parody of Brookside Close
or Eastenders
. In most of the adverts it stars ex-soap stars and they are sometimes portrayed as a similar character to the one they played in their original soap.
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance that is a type of detergent that is added for cleaning laundry. In common usage, "detergent" refers to mixtures of chemical compounds including alkylbenzenesulfonates, which are similar to soap but are less affected by "hard water." In most...
on the market in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
and is lower priced than P&G's main brand, Ariel
Ariel (laundry)
Ariel is a marketing line of laundry detergents made by Procter & Gamble. It is the flagship brand in Procter & Gamble's European, Mexican, Japanese, Brazilian, Peruvian, Turkish, Filipino, Colombian and Venezuelan portfolios. In some U.S. stores, Mexican Ariel is available.Ariel first appeared on...
. Aggressively marketed, it is associated in popular culture with the "Daz Doorstep Challenge" series of commercials, which saw various 'hosts' including Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
, Shane Richie
Shane Richie
Shane Richie is an English actor, comedian, singer and media personality, known for his portrayal of the character Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.-Early life and career beginnings:...
and Michael Barrymore
Michael Barrymore
Michael Kieron Parker , better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is a British comedian who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music and Kids Say...
surprising house occupiers at the door and asking them to put Daz to the test against a rival detergent. The advert was famously spoofed by Dom Joly
Dom Joly
Dominic John Romulus "Dom" Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He came to note as the star of Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show that was sold to over seventy countries worldwide...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sketch series Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
where Dom would knock on doors presenting the 'zap mega' challenge. He then ran from the scene with the crew in tow, arms akimbo, legs flailing while the occupier went to retrieve a white garment. The occupier then returned to the door looking bemused. The advert was also spoofed in a John Smith's advertising campaign featuring Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
. Recent TV commercials are set in an obviously fictitious "Cleaner Close" soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
.
Daz also makes "Daz tablets" and Daz in liquid form.
Cleaner Close advertising campaign
From 2002, Daz began a series of soap opera style adverts called Cleaner Close. Some of these featured where a new packet Daz or prize give-away as part of the plot, such as a character who either hid money in Daz packets or donated money to Daz in their will.Other episodes have a character who do not use Daz which causes them problems, which are solved by a character who uses Daz. Cleaner Close seems to be a parody of Brookside Close
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
or Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. In most of the adverts it stars ex-soap stars and they are sometimes portrayed as a similar character to the one they played in their original soap.