Test Your "Brains Behind the
Food" IQ! By DeLane McDuffie
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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