History of advertising tactic that he used was to associate the Pears brand with high culture and quality. Most famously, he used the painting "Bubbles" by John Everett Millais as an advertisement by adding a bar of Pears soap into the foreground. Barratt continued this theme with a series of adverts of well groomed middle-class children, associating Pears with domestic comfort and aspirations of high society. Barratt introduced many of the crucial ideas that lie behind successful advertising and these were widely circulated in his day. He constantly stressed the importance of a strong and exclusive brand image for Pears and of emphasizing
Thomas J. Barratt as Barratt had acquired the copyright. Barratt followed this with a series of advertisements inspired by Millais' painting, portraying cute children in idealized middle-class homes, associating Pears with social aspiration and domestic comfort. Barratt also made effective use of testimonials, recruiting both scientists and glamorous high-society figures. He also established "Pears Annual" in 1891, in which he promoted contemporary illustration and colour printing. In 1897, he added "Pears Cyclopedia", a single volume encyclopedia. Barratt's methods led to much comment and parody, most famously a Harry Furniss Punch cartoon in which a tramp says "I used your soap two years ago,