The Gerber baby food company has long operated under the slogan "Babies are our business… our only business." But for a brief period in 1974, that promise wasn't exactly true. That year, the company unveiled Gerber Singles, a line of glass jars containing ready-to-eat meals that were advertised to young adults and college students. This new product was part of a larger effort by Gerber to expand its customer base in response to a 25% drop in the U.S. birth rate from 1960 to 1972, which heavily impacted the baby food market. With the tagline "We were good for you then, we're good for you now," Gerber Singles were essentially advertised as whole meals for single people on the go or those who chose not to cook. Flavors included Beef Burgundy, Mediterranean Vegetables, and Blueberry Delight, and all you needed to do was heat up the jar and eat it right out of the container. However, Gerber Singles proved deeply unpopular, as the idea of eating pureed food out of a glass jar failed to catch on. People were also turned off by depressing ad campaigns that promoted Gerber Singles as food for "whenever you eat alone." The product rollout was a flop, and the jars were pulled from shelves after just three months. |
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