1952 Quaker Puffed Wheat Cereal
While reading this article about famed adman Albert Lasker, I tried looking for a larger version of the tiny ad within for Quaker puffed rice or puffed wheat. I couldn't find it, but I did find this 1952 ad from the UK. Eeek!
Here's how the cereal got the strange slogan according to the article:
The Quaker cereal company gave Lasker two under performing cereals to advertise - Wheat Berries and Puffed Rice.
While touring the plant, he and copywriter Claude C. Hopkins noticed that raw grains were placed inside long rifle-like tubes. Hot compressed air was blasted into the tubes, puffing up the grains to eight times their normal size. The kernels shot out with a bang.
Lasker and Hopkins saw a selling idea.
They proposed that Quaker change the name of Wheat Berries to Puffed Wheat so they could advertise Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice together to save money.
Then they created a campaign that sold the cereals as "Food shot from guns!"
The advertising industry ridiculed the campaign. The press said it was "the theory of an imbecile."
Wrong.
Almost immediately, Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice became the two most profitable cereals in the country.
"Food shot from guns" made sales of both breakfast cereals shoot up 300 per cent.
Here's how the cereal got the strange slogan according to the article:
The Quaker cereal company gave Lasker two under performing cereals to advertise - Wheat Berries and Puffed Rice.
While touring the plant, he and copywriter Claude C. Hopkins noticed that raw grains were placed inside long rifle-like tubes. Hot compressed air was blasted into the tubes, puffing up the grains to eight times their normal size. The kernels shot out with a bang.
Lasker and Hopkins saw a selling idea.
They proposed that Quaker change the name of Wheat Berries to Puffed Wheat so they could advertise Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice together to save money.
Then they created a campaign that sold the cereals as "Food shot from guns!"
The advertising industry ridiculed the campaign. The press said it was "the theory of an imbecile."
Wrong.
Almost immediately, Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice became the two most profitable cereals in the country.
"Food shot from guns" made sales of both breakfast cereals shoot up 300 per cent.
