Pears (soap) had so much success that Pears purchased the copyright to produce copies as advertisements for their soap products. They were made for shop counter displays in terracotta, plaster and metal. From the late 19th century, Pears soap was famous for its marketing, masterminded by Barratt. Its campaign using John Everett Millais's painting "Bubbles" continued over many decades. As with many other brands at the time, at the beginning of the 20th century Pears also used their product as a sign of the prevailing European concept of the "civilizing mission" of empire and trade, in which the soap stands for progress.
Pears (soap) century Pears was famous for the annual "Miss Pears" competition in which parents entered their children into the high-profile hunt for a young brand ambassador to be used on packaging and in consumer promotions. Many Miss Pears subsequently entered acting or modelling. "Pears' Cyclopaedia" is a one volume encyclopaedia continuously published, in the United Kingdom, since December 1897. Beginning with 2003, a British company called Cert Brands is in charge of marketing and distribution of Pears soap. Pears' unique manufacturing process required the soap to be dried for up to thirteen weeks so that the alcohol used in the process