Few items of packaging can be quite so famous as that for the humble Brillo Pad (and if you need to ask why I guess you’re probably on the wrong site!). And there are few better examples of ‘adding value’ to a basic product than Brillo – which after all is just wire wool impregnated with pink soap. When it was first launched in 1913 they didn’t even bother to do that, the bar of soap was separate inside the box!
This packet looks to date from the late 1960s, but still has echoes of older designs – particularly in the illustration of the woman scouring pans in a sink on the back. The colours overall are more primary than earlier boxes, while the hand lettered ‘at least 5D off’ is typical of a lot of the fierce price war initiatives being waged by makers of cleaning products at the time.
The cleaner was still being made in Maidenhead, Berkshire at the time by the grandly named Brillo Manufacturing Company Of Great Britain (they were bought out by Johnsons in 1986 who now make the product in Sussex).
Curiously although the Brillo packaging has been given a garish redesign make over lately by their American producers (which may follow here), this late 60s version of the logo still survives on the more basic catering packs sold to hotels and the like.
I’ve not seen a contemporary advert for this box design but the one below is only slightly older. I do have more Brillo boxes so will get round to posting them anon.
easyontheeye2.wordpress.com 
I worked briefly at the Maidenhead factory in 1978. The air in the place was pink from soap, which you could sometimes smell across town, Brillo made its own wire wool: a dangerous process involving milling a very sharp edge on wire rod, then drawing the wire thinner and thinner onto enormous spools belting round.
Lifeguard disinfectant was made here too.
Proper grim factory! I thought we’d offshored dangerous jobs like this to places where workers lack a voice.
Interesting Adam. Yes, sadly this country seems more interested in 2p off their Brillo than making sure people have decent working conditions! And having seen the workers housing Lever built for their workers 100 years or more ago, it is still better than some of the tat they allow private housing firms to throw up round here.