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.
Mark Pears in 1952, by his grandfather Bernard Pears (who changed his name from Schleicher on emigrating from Austria) and his father Clive Pears, and is run by Mark Pears with his younger brothers Trevor and David. Mark Pears has run the company since his father died in 1984, when he was aged 21. According to "The Daily Telegraph", Pears won't allow his photo to be taken, or say which of the 212 companies of which he is a director, a "complex labyrinth of operating and investment companies", is the main holding company or what the group's annual profit might be. In