The very first brand manager ever believed to be hired in that specific role was Thomas J. Barratt in 1865, (or the father of modern advertising as he is more often known) at Pears Soap where he worked on creating slogans and images for the company. One of his first major coups was to use West End stage actress Lillie Langtry as the brands first poster girl, and this is now believed to be one of the earliest instances of celebrities being used to advertise commercial products.
