Bounty Paper Towels: The Facts

Bounty paper towels are one of the most famous brands in the world, known for its efficient cleaning power and humourous - sometime controversial - advertising campaigns. Find out more about Bounty paper towels, which are known as Plenty in the UK, here.

History of Bounty paper towels

Bounty paper towels were first manufactured in 1965 in the USA, by Proctor and Gamble. Since its introduction, more varieties of Bounty have been introduced, including Basic, Extra Sort and Thick & Absorbent. These are available as plain towels, or with fun patterns including butterflies, cats, dogs and food favourites. In the UK, Bounty paper towels are sold under the name Plenty, since Proctor and Gamble sold the UK manufacturing rights to the Swedish company SCA. Part of the deal was the agreement that SCA would change the product's name in the UK. Bounty became Plenty in 2007. Throughout its history, Bounty has been recognised for its absorbency. Much of the advertising has been designed to compare this to rival brands of paper towel, with Bounty invariably coming out on top.

Bounty advertising

In the UK, Bounty was initially advertised using characters called Brenda and Audrey. These two bearded men in dresses would perform everyday household tasks, such as wiping up difficult spills, using Bounty and a rival brand. While the rival paper towel would tear before the job was finished, Bounty could be used to wipe things up, wrung out and used again. Since the name change - when Bounty became Plenty - it has been advertised using the character Juan Sheet. This paper towel wielding matador helps people who need an effective paper towel. In the USA, Bounty was advertised by the actress Nancy Walker from the 1970s to the 1990s. The tagline, "the quicker picker upper", remained at the brand's catchphrase long after Nancy Walker stop appearing in the ads. One of the most recent adverts for Bounty in the USA gained a lot of publicity for its controversial reference to the Crips street gang. This ad featured two members of the "Paper Towel Gang", rapping about Bounty in the style of T-Pain, former gang member turned rapper. The advertising used by Bounty is one the reasons that it has become a highly popular brand.