ADVERTISING
When KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) first translated its advertising slogan "finger lickin' good" into Chinese, it came out as "eat your fingers off."
When U.S. companies begin marketing their products in Africa, it is common practice to have a picture on the label of what is inside, since most people there can not read English. Gerber Baby Food was not aware of this, and ran into a problem, since the photo on their label was of a cute Causasian baby.
In it's 1897 catalog, Sears Roebuck & Co. advertised a celery nerve tonic for sale.
Heinz was a marketing and advertising pioneer. His company had the largest commercial exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and in 1900 erected the first electric sign in New York, a 40 foot pickle!
* The inventor of 7-Up, C.L. Grigg never explained how he came up with the name. Some of the stories about the origin are:
-- Grigg saw a cattle brand with the number '7' and the letter 'u'.
-- The drink has '7 natural flavors' and carbonation.
-- The 7 is for the original size - 7 ounces - and the Up was of 'bottoms up'.
I have seen 2 stories on the first advertising:
1) The first advertising slogan for 7-Up was, 'It takes the ouch out of grouch.'
2) From the 7-Up website: The earliest 7 UP advertising featured a winged 7 UP logo and described the soft drink as 'a glorified drink in bottles only. Seven natural flavors blended into a savory, flavory drink with a real wallop.'
In 1952, Mr. Potato Head was born, consisting entirely of parts, consumers had to supplly the potato. Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on network television. Mrs. Potato Head appeared in 1953, and in 1964 the Potato Heads begin to come with plastic bodies included.
In 1921 advertising manager Sam Gale of General Mills created fictional spokeswoman Betty Crocker so that correspondence to housewives could go out with her signature.
Pepsi spent a lot of money on an advertising campaign in China with the slogan 'Pepsi gives you life' - the only problem was they got the translation a little skewed - the translation came out 'Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.'
California discovered the commercial potential of raisins quite by accident. In 1873, a freak hot spell withered the grapes on the vine. One enterprising San Francisco grocer advertised these shriveled grapes as "Peruvian Delicacies" and the rest is history. California is now the world's leading producer of raisins.
The first advertisement for jelly beans was supposedly published in the Chicago Daily News on July 5, 1905.
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