The Procter & Gamble Co. influence is creeping into advertisements for its newest acquisition, Clairol.

        After buying the hair-care brands late last year for $4.95 billion, P&G has tweaked some of the best-known ads, those pitching Herbal Essences shampoo.

        You might recall the ads: In places like a courtroom or an airplane, a female customer washes her hair with accompanying sounds that might be described as ... well, enthusiastic.

        The ads, running in some form since the mid-1990s, have drawn a fair amount of attention, including some from P&G loyalists who regarded them as a little too provocative.

        Herbal Essences is continuing the “Totally Organic Experience” theme. But in a new campaign starting in mid-May for its Fruit Fusions line, the ads now feature the same activity, but this time with a husband and wife in their home.

        A P&G spokeswoman acknowledged that the focus is a bit different. But she said Herbal Essences was “returning to the in-shower experience.”

        “The Herbal Essences business is working right now,” spokeswoman Gretchen Muchnick said.

        Have a tip about a Tristate company that should be included in our Buzz? Call 768-8147 or e-mail business@enquirer.com.

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