Avon is calling again 40 years on

Avon commercials will be seen on the small screen from next week

Cosmetics giant Avon is calling again with its first major recruitment drive for 40 years.

"Ding Dong, Avon's Calling" became a memorable catchphrase following the advertising campaign of the 1960s.

Now it is searching for a new generation of representatives through a series of television ads which start next week.

Avon, one of the world's largest direct sellers of cosmetics, operates in more than 100 countries.

The "Hello Tomorrow" campaign will feature six Avon representatives discussing their work and will be aired for six weeks from April 28.

Rich history

Avon ladies have been selling products door-to-door since 1886, although the business started out selling books.

Salesman David Hall McConnell was giving out free perfume to housewives to encourage them to buy more books.

However, his customers were more interested in the perfume than the books so he concentrated on selling perfume - using women to sell to women.

The firm now has 170,000 Avon representatives and an estimated eight million customers in the UK alone, but announced job losses as part of a restructuring plan within the increasingly competitive market earlier this year.

It signed Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon as its first "global ambassador" last year when she became honorary chairwoman of the Avon Foundation, a charity which supports women and their families.