Test Your "Brains Behind the
Food" IQ! By DeLane McDuffie
From Team Beachbody - Join Today and Workout to
Win!
Sure, you've thought about
brain food before, but have you ever thought about the brains behind the food?
Doesn't sound too appealing at first, I know. I'm referring to the people who
were responsible for some of the most successful food ad campaigns, making
their products standouts in a market full of competitors.
 Lorraine Collett Petersen – raisins. After being spotted drying her hair, Petersen was asked to be
the subject of a painting. In the pose, she held a tray of grapes and wore her
mother's bonnet. The northern Californian company that commissioned the
painting was Sun-Maid. And Petersen's pose has been the basis of the enduring
Sun-Maid Girl image since 1915.
- Sam Porter
Goldsmith – cereal. Back in 1952, Sam Goldsmith
sketched a character that would compete with three other characters in a
contest to become the official mascot of a then brand-new breakfast cereal. The
public would be the judge. The contestants were Newt the Gnu, Katy the
Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant, and Tony the Tiger. Guess who
won?
 Marvin Potts – drink mix. In
1954, Mr. Potts got stuck with the daunting task of creating a new pitchman for
General Mills' new drink. Inspired by his son drawing smiley faces on a window
on a chilly Chicago day, he decided to put a smiley face on a pitcher of this
new beverage, known as Kool-Aid. This was the beginning of Pitcherman, who
later became Kool-Aid Man in 1975, after Kraft Foods (who had recently bought
General Mills) slapped some appendages on him.
- Antonio Gentile
– nuts. The year: 1916. A Virginia goober company
was looking for an indelible image for its logo. So, they held a public
contest. A 14-year-old boy named Antonio Gentile won $5 (that's somewhere in
the neighborhood of $100 in today's money) for his drawing of a peanut with
arms and legs. The company: Planter's Nut and Chocolate Company. The
advertising icon: Mr. Peanut.
 O. D. McKee – snacks. Mulling
over ideas of what should be the face of his company, O. D. McKee came across a
photograph of his 4-year-old granddaughter. The cuteness of her wearing a straw
hat and a blue checkered shirt was irresistible to McKee. Little Debbie's own
parents were clueless of their daughter's image becoming the company logo,
until they saw the first packages in 1960. |
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