DASH
Dash was one of the first laundry detergents specifically developed for automatic washing machines. It was introduced by Procter & Gamble in the 1950s and was advertised as a non-suds, low-foaming, heavy-duty detergent. Dash detergent had moderate sales but was released a couple of years after Tide had already become the leading detergent brand in the United States. The extensive popularity of Tide made it hard for Dash to become a leading detergent line. P&G heavily advertised Dash, spending 1-2 million dollars per year on television commercials alone. They also did something out of the ordinary at the time by partnering with appliance manufacturers, mostly the Bendix Home Appliances co. Together, they produced print advertisements advertising the Bendix Duomatic washing machine on one side and explaining that Dash's low suds would work best for the machine on the other side. Dash also included a free box of detergent with the sale of new automatic washers.
A New Era in Laundry
DASH THROUGH THE YEARS
Dash expanded its range nationally in the 1960s, becoming especially successful in Europe. In 1964 they opened a manufacturing hub in Pomezia, Italy where they upgraded the product. They altered the dash formula by taking the base of Tide and re-engineered it to be a less sudsy powder better suited for Italian washing machines and produced it under the Dash brand name. Dash continued selling out nationally but ultimately could not compete with Tide in the United States and was officially discontinued in 1998.
