Mothers, Soap, and Washing Clothes

Companies are made up of people producing goods and services, and advertising for those good and services.  Proctor & Gamble produced this Proud Sponsor of Moms advertisement for the Olympics.  The international focus is great, and mirror's Proctor & Gamble's expansion into new markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

Not every child dives into sports enough to compete in the Olympics.  But the short video captures the daily schedule of childhood with the everyday joys and hard work of being a parent.

Among the everyday products from P & G are soaps for washing hands, hair, clothes, and dishes.  Every mother spends a lot of time washing because every child spends a lot of time getting dirty.  Washing consumes energy, and clothes washing consumes a lot of energy, either a mother's muscle power, or energy as electricity for the family washing machine.  P & G researchers, engineers, factory workers, salesmen, marketers, and delivery people bring these products to a billion plus customers around the world.

P & G can provide the latest technology laundry detergent for mothers around the world, but it can't provide the energy to power washing machines or dish washers.  Without dependable electricity, a mother's daily cleaning tasks are a lot harder and more time-consuming.

Hans Rosling addresses this challenge for the developing world with a story of his grandmother's first day with a washing machine.  This TED presentation brings his story to those in the wealthy west skeptical about electricity and the fossil fuels required to create it.