When I was a kid, my cousins and I used to poke fun at my abuela’s use Vicks VapoRub for everything. One time a cousin hid her arm inside her sleeve and doused it with ketchup. She ran into the house yelling “¡Abuela! ¡Ayudame! !Mi brazo ha sido cortar de apagado!” My abuela rushed into the room and saw what looked like her arm was cut off. She ran into the bathroom and came back with a jar of VapoRub to fix her missing arm. Next came the peals of laughter. Luckily for us my abuela had a good sense of humor. Once she recovered from her shock, she chuckled.
Handed down from generation to generation, Vicks VapoRub holds cultural foothold and continues to be a beloved common denominator among Hispanics. It can be found in every kitchen, medicine cabinet, nightstand and vanity of Hispanic homes across the United States, Mexico, and abroad. Fondly known as Bibaporru, Beep, Vaporú, El Bic, El Bix, and Vickisito, VapoRub has endless uses. From congestion relief and stomach aches to cuts and even distemper in horses VapoRub is slathered over all that ails No matter what, VapoRub always makes you feel better. And so, it comes as no surprise that VapoRub stories, jokes, tweets and memes abound. https://www.tiktok.com/discover/vicks-hispanic-meme=
Created in 1912, VapoRub was first advertised and marketed to traditional middle-income Anglo-American wives with children living a modern middle-class lifestyle. Its reception was unremarkable.
But when VicksRub began being distributed in Mexico, the little blue jar caught on with dizzying speed. No advertising. No marketing. And yet, somehow VaproRub was flying off the shelves. VapoRub didn’t need to advertise or market itself. Mexicans did it for them. Because the tightly woven sense of family and community is a hallmark of Hispanic culture, VapoRub quickly spread from home to home throughout Mexico.
For Hispanics, the scent of eucalyptus evokes powerful childhood memories and emotions. From the moment they were born their mothers used VapoRub on them. VapoRub’s scent is associated with home. Those who have moved away tell of times when they would open a jar of Vicks just to smell it and feel like they were home again.
Today, Vicks VapoRub continues to be a top selling brand with Hispanics with a market share of 95%. It’s safe to say that the immediately recognizable little blue jar of eucalyptus-scented ointment has become embedded in Hispanic culture. Vicks VapoRub continues to dominate a sizable market as Hispanics, from one generation to next, pass down VapoRub with their shared memories and stories
VaHi When I was a kid, my cousins and I used to poke fun at my abuela’s use Vicks VapoRub for everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. One time a cousin hid her arm inside the sleeve, doused the empty sleeve with ketchup, and ran into the house yelling “¡Abuela! ¡Ayudame, ayuda! Mi brazo ha sido cortar de apagado!” My abuela rushed into the room, saw her arm had been cut off, ran into the bathroom, and came back with a jar of VapoRub to fix her missing arm. We’ve never laughed that hard before or since. Luckily for us my abuela had a good sense of humor, and once she recovered from her shock, she chuckled. Then there was the time my little sister came home crying because a boy she liked asked another girl to a dance. My abuela rubbed VapoRub on her chest and told her it would heal her broken heart.
Handed down from generation to generation, Vicks VapoRub holds cultural foothold and continues to be a beloved common denominator among Hispanics. It can be found in practically every kitchen, medicine cabinet, nightstand and vanity of Hispanic homes across the United States, Mexico, and abroad. Fondly known as Bibaporru, Beep, Vaporú, El Bic, El Bix, and Vickisito, VapoRub has endless uses. From congestion relief and stomach aches to cuts and even distemper in horses it is slathered over all that ails. It’s also been used as a calmative and sometimes combined with a little tequila for a digestive. No matter what, VapoRub always makes you feel better. And so it comes as no surprise that VapoRub stories, jokes, tweets and memes abound. https://www.tiktok.com/discover/vicks-hispanic-meme
Created in 1912, VapoRub was first advertised and marketed to traditional middle-income Anglo-American wives with children living a modern middle class lifestyle. However, once it began distribution in Mexico, the little blue jar caught on with dizzying speed. No advertising. No marketing. And yet, somehow it began flying off the shelves. VapoRub didn’t need to advertise or market itself. Mexicans did it for them. Because the tightly woven sense of family and community is a hallmark of Hispanic culture, VapoRub quickly spread from home to home throughout Mexico.
For Hispanics, the scent of eucalyptus evokes powerful childhood memories and emotions. From the moment they were born their mothers used VapoRub on them. VapoRub’s scent is associated with home. Those who have moved away from their families tell of times when they would open a jar of Vicks just to smell it and feel like they were home again.
Today, Vicks VapoRub continues to be a top selling brand in Mexico with a market share of 95%. It’s safe to say that the little blue immediately recognizable jar of eucalyptus-scented ointment has come to embody the heart and soul of Hispanics everywhere. That’s why Vicks VapoRub has dominated the market and it will probably continue to do so for a very long time as Hispanics pass the VapoRub memories and stories from one generation to the next.