Robert George Whitehead was a Texas businessman who created Quaker House Products, Inc., which produced and marketed the first-aid treatment known as "Blue Star Ointment"; some 50 million jars are sold annually in the United States. Whitehead was a marketing maverick who used an innovative memorable 10-second television commercial to sell Blue Star Ointment. These shorter ads cost less than a traditional 30-second commercial to both produce and air. Whitehead packed all the information into a shorter time frame to attract customers through the old marketing format of an auctioneer.