America today is hardly recognizable as the America of one hundred years ago. If we could step back in time we wouldn’t find many things that we take for granted today. There would no television, no internet, and no cell phone. You wouldn’t see a coke machine, an air conditioner or an mp3 player. Instead of a refrigerator you would see an icebox and back then you could even drink the water right out of the faucet – or the well pump. A lot has changed in American culture but the value we place on home, health and family has not changed. We still celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, enjoy summer baseball, hope that every election will bring a change and we still eat Campbell's soup. Since its introduction on the American market we have sent men into outerspace but we haven't been able to invent anything more satisfying or as "M'm M'm Good!"
Almost one hundred and forty years ago a fruit merchant, Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer started a business that was to become one of the most long-lived and successful companies of all time. The company orginally called the Joseph A Campbell Preserve Company is now called the Campbell's Soup Company. In 1904 Campbell's introduced condensed soup to the world. Simply by removing the water from the soup they shrunk a 32 ounce can down to 10 ounces making it not only convenient for the shopper but also reducing their costs so much that they could offer it to the consumers for one third of the price of other soups on the market. Twenty one varieties of soup sold for 10 cents a can making it affordable and convenient. The real stroke of genius was the company's advertising campaign which has evolved over the decades to make Campbell's Soup one of the best known brands in the world.
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campbell_soup_1912.jpg
The Campell Kids were born in 1904. These appealing cherubic cartoon kids appeared on the sides of trolly cars and in magazine ads and were recognizable icons for Campbell's Soup. The advertisers touted Campbell's soups as quick, convenient, wholesome and just like "homemade". All virtues that appealed to the ever-increasing numbers of women who took jobs outside the home and those who weren't at home but wanted reminders of it. In the 1930's Campbell's sponsored its own radio show and the Campbell's jingle was born - M'm, M'm! Its Good! Since 1916 and continuing to this day,Campbell's hires home economists to invent new recipes using its canned condensed soup. Recipes such as "Green Bean Casserole" and "Glorified Chicken" using condensed soup have become staples of the American diet. In keeping with the health conscious consumer of today Campbells now markets its "healthy requests" line of soups that contain less fat, sodium and calories than their other "Home Cookin'" and "Simply Home" soup products. These names "home cookin" and "simply home" have been carefully selected by advertising executives. We all know that Campbell's Soup isn't homemade but the suggestion is that anything homemade has only the best ingredients and is made with a "mother's" care. American culture believes in the goodness of "home" and Campbell's Soups will continue to remind us how easy it is to replicate the feelings of home - just open a can!
In keeping with their progressive marketing ideas Campbell's have a website that answers consumer questions, gives hints on how to make cooking easier and provides consumers with innovative ways to use condensed soup. Another website meant for kids and eduactors encourages children to collect labels from their soup cans and send them in to receive points for their school. Campbells rewards them by providing free products to the schools. This is a huge marketing gimmick that not only ensures market loyalty but put's Campbell's "best foot" forward in the eyes of the consumer. Advertising is the key to making a product successful. Campbells spends millions of dollars every year promoting its products. As one advertising executive likes to joke "my clients complain about the money spent on advertising and complain that half of it is wasted - the problem is we never know which half". Advertisers target different sectors of the market when designing commercials. Traditionally, Campbell's Soup has targeted families with children representing itself as mother's savior in the kitchen by providing "Chunky" soups just like Mom used to make without all the hours of preparation.
Looking at the advertising campaigns of Campbell's Soup is almost like a history lesson of American culture and values. Like the chicken and the egg theory though we are left to wonder if advertisements are like a mirror reflecting American culture or if the advertisements themselves are helping to create American culture. Historically speaking I guess it doesn't matter which came first. What matters is that we know that these advertisements give us an insight into an American culture that is always evolving. The so-called traditional American family has changed with Mom, Dad and kids sitting around the Sunday table but Campbell's still promotes its products as wholesome, healthy and good just as it did a hundred years ago. The American family may have changed but its values as far as Campbells is concerned has remained unchanged. Advertising campaigns for Campbell's Soup has been successful since the outset and has changed over the decades, using every marketing ploy in the book. Sports celebrities, movie stars and even a President (Reagan) have been happy to have their name linked with Campbell's Soup. Campbell's Soup has become an icon for what is good and wholesome in America today. There is possibly only one other product that has lasted as long as Campbell's soup and has similar brand recognition. Jell-o made its debut in 1845 even earlier than Campbell's Soup. Jell-o advertisers like to remind the consumer that Jello has been around a long time but it is always getting better,(185-187) similar to Campbell's commercials. Both products promote children in their ads and more than one commercial for each product recalls memories of times gone by when "grandmother" prepared their product. Both of the products consistently use images of healthy happy kids to convey to consumers their wholesomeness and innocence. Jell-o's original slogan was "you can't be a kid without it". This is hardly truth in advertising but if you want your kid to be a real kid you had better feed him jell-o.
This commercial was aired in the early 1980's when Campbell's was sponsoring family favorite shows such as Lassie. The television shows that Campbell's sponsored were strictly "g" rated family favorites and were considered wholesome programs that were "feel-good" and usually depicted the hero triumphing over everything evil in his life. Campbell's soup has always promoted this "feel-good", healthy image of its products from the earliest days of the Campbell Kids. This commercial featured the Campbell's Kids who were the icons for Campbell's soups. They are playing football outdoors while sipping at bowls of soup tryng to convince their unhealthy friend, Junkfood,(who is too pooped to participate) that if he wanted to be healthy he had to eat right and Campbell's soup was "good food". The Campbell Kids appeared in countless magazine advertisements and television commercials and were recognizeable as the Campbell Kids because of their cherubic faces and rosy cheeks. Campbell's Soups are advertised as a convenient and wholesome alternative to traditional home cooking. What is more the kids can help themselves, leaving Mom guilt.free.
The Campbell's Kids were sometimes replaced by real kids. In this commercial the kids are eating lunch at an all boy' school and the soup is shown in a large serving bowl as if it is homemade. The message is the same - Campbells is "good food" but this time it is even better.
In the early 1990's an updated version of the Campbell Kids was aired. The updated version showed the Campbell Kids rapping with Dan the Teddy Bear but the message was the same - "M'm M'm! It's good! Campbell's has kept up its image of wholesome food for the entire family and has continually expanded its product range with new products such as this Teddy Bear soup meant to appeal to younger kids. Today Campbell's products include such exotic soups as Water-Cress and Duck Gizzard soup and Cream of Chili Poblano Soup but the three all time favorites have always been Tomato, Chicken Noodle and Cream of Mushroom.
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In 1964 Andy Warhol immortalized the Campbell's Soup Can with his paintings of the familiar red and white Campbell's Soup Cans. The colors for the can were chosen to mimic the colors of Cornell University's football team after one of the early managing directors of Campbell's Soup had been inspired after watching his favorite team play. Andy Warhol became famous for making the ordinary items of every day life into works of art. The fact that he chose to immortalize the Campbell's soup can is proof of how recognizeable the can was and is to millions of consumers.Campbell's is now a part of most American's every day life, as American as apple pie. There are lots of soups on the market but none of them are as well known as Campbell's. Do Campbell's soups taste any better than the rest? Probably not, but we will continue to buy Campbell's soup over the rest because of the familiarity we have with the product. It is not the taste that tempts us or the convenience of the product. What tempts us to buy Campbell's are all those Campbell's Kids and the clever advertising campaigns that has forever imprinted the Campbell's Soup Can into our memories.
America today is hardly recognizable as the America of one hundred years ago. If we could step back in time we wouldn’t find many things that we take for granted today. There would no television, no internet, and no cell phone. You wouldn’t see a coke machine, an air conditioner or an mp3 player. Instead of a refrigerator you would see an icebox and back then you could even drink the water right out of the faucet – or the well pump. A lot has changed in American culture but the value we place on home, health and family has not changed. We still celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, enjoy summer baseball, hope that every election will bring a change and we still eat Campbell's soup. Since its introduction on the American market we have sent men into outerspace but we haven't been able to invent anything more satisfying or as "M'm M'm Good!"
Almost one hundred and forty years ago a fruit merchant, Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer started a business that was to become one of the most long-lived and successful companies of all time. The company orginally called the Joseph A Campbell Preserve Company is now called the Campbell's Soup Company. In 1904 Campbell's introduced condensed soup to the world. Simply by removing the water from the soup they shrunk a 32 ounce can down to 10 ounces making it not only convenient for the shopper but also reducing their costs so much that they could offer it to the consumers for one third of the price of other soups on the market. Twenty one varieties of soup sold for 10 cents a can making it affordable and convenient. The real stroke of genius was the company's advertising campaign which has evolved over the decades to make Campbell's Soup one of the best known brands in the world.
The Campell Kids were born in 1904. These appealing cherubic cartoon kids appeared on the sides of trolly cars and in magazine ads and were recognizable icons for Campbell's Soup. The advertisers touted Campbell's soups as quick, convenient, wholesome and just like "homemade". All virtues that appealed to the ever-increasing numbers of women who took jobs outside the home and those who weren't at home but wanted reminders of it. In the 1930's Campbell's sponsored its own radio show and the Campbell's jingle was born - M'm, M'm! Its Good! Since 1916 and continuing to this day,Campbell's hires home economists to invent new recipes using its canned condensed soup. Recipes such as "Green Bean Casserole" and "Glorified Chicken" using condensed soup have become staples of the American diet. In keeping with the health conscious consumer of today Campbells now markets its "healthy requests" line of soups that contain less fat, sodium and calories than their other "Home Cookin'" and "Simply Home" soup products. These names "home cookin" and "simply home" have been carefully selected by advertising executives. We all know that Campbell's Soup isn't homemade but the suggestion is that anything homemade has only the best ingredients and is made with a "mother's" care. American culture believes in the goodness of "home" and Campbell's Soups will continue to remind us how easy it is to replicate the feelings of home - just open a can!
In keeping with their progressive marketing ideas Campbell's have a website that answers consumer questions, gives hints on how to make cooking easier and provides consumers with innovative ways to use condensed soup. Another website meant for kids and eduactors encourages children to collect labels from their soup cans and send them in to receive points for their school. Campbells rewards them by providing free products to the schools. This is a huge marketing gimmick that not only ensures market loyalty but put's Campbell's "best foot" forward in the eyes of the consumer. Advertising is the key to making a product successful. Campbells spends millions of dollars every year promoting its products. As one advertising executive likes to joke "my clients complain about the money spent on advertising and complain that half of it is wasted - the problem is we never know which half". Advertisers target different sectors of the market when designing commercials. Traditionally, Campbell's Soup has targeted families with children representing itself as mother's savior in the kitchen by providing "Chunky" soups just like Mom used to make without all the hours of preparation.
Looking at the advertising campaigns of Campbell's Soup is almost like a history lesson of American culture and values. Like the chicken and the egg theory though we are left to wonder if advertisements are like a mirror reflecting American culture or if the advertisements themselves are helping to create American culture. Historically speaking I guess it doesn't matter which came first. What matters is that we know that these advertisements give us an insight into an American culture that is always evolving. The so-called traditional American family has changed with Mom, Dad and kids sitting around the Sunday table but Campbell's still promotes its products as wholesome, healthy and good just as it did a hundred years ago. The American family may have changed but its values as far as Campbells is concerned has remained unchanged. Advertising campaigns for Campbell's Soup has been successful since the outset and has changed over the decades, using every marketing ploy in the book. Sports celebrities, movie stars and even a President (Reagan) have been happy to have their name linked with Campbell's Soup. Campbell's Soup has become an icon for what is good and wholesome in America today. There is possibly only one other product that has lasted as long as Campbell's soup and has similar brand recognition. Jell-o made its debut in 1845 even earlier than Campbell's Soup. Jell-o advertisers like to remind the consumer that Jello has been around a long time but it is always getting better,(185-187) similar to Campbell's commercials. Both products promote children in their ads and more than one commercial for each product recalls memories of times gone by when "grandmother" prepared their product. Both of the products consistently use images of healthy happy kids to convey to consumers their wholesomeness and innocence. Jell-o's original slogan was "you can't be a kid without it". This is hardly truth in advertising but if you want your kid to be a real kid you had better feed him jell-o.
This commercial was aired in the early 1980's when Campbell's was sponsoring family favorite shows such as Lassie. The television shows that Campbell's sponsored were strictly "g" rated family favorites and were considered wholesome programs that were "feel-good" and usually depicted the hero triumphing over everything evil in his life. Campbell's soup has always promoted this "feel-good", healthy image of its products from the earliest days of the Campbell Kids. This commercial featured the Campbell's Kids who were the icons for Campbell's soups. They are playing football outdoors while sipping at bowls of soup tryng to convince their unhealthy friend, Junkfood,(who is too pooped to participate) that if he wanted to be healthy he had to eat right and Campbell's soup was "good food". The Campbell Kids appeared in countless magazine advertisements and television commercials and were recognizeable as the Campbell Kids because of their cherubic faces and rosy cheeks. Campbell's Soups are advertised as a convenient and wholesome alternative to traditional home cooking. What is more the kids can help themselves, leaving Mom guilt.free.
The Campbell's Kids were sometimes replaced by real kids. In this commercial the kids are eating lunch at an all boy' school and the soup is shown in a large serving bowl as if it is homemade. The message is the same - Campbells is "good food" but this time it is even better.
In the early 1990's an updated version of the Campbell Kids was aired. The updated version showed the Campbell Kids rapping with Dan the Teddy Bear but the message was the same - "M'm M'm! It's good! Campbell's has kept up its image of wholesome food for the entire family and has continually expanded its product range with new products such as this Teddy Bear soup meant to appeal to younger kids. Today Campbell's products include such exotic soups as Water-Cress and Duck Gizzard soup and Cream of Chili Poblano Soup but the three all time favorites have always been Tomato, Chicken Noodle and Cream of Mushroom.
In 1964 Andy Warhol immortalized the Campbell's Soup Can with his paintings of the familiar red and white Campbell's Soup Cans. The colors for the can were chosen to mimic the colors of Cornell University's football team after one of the early managing directors of Campbell's Soup had been inspired after watching his favorite team play. Andy Warhol became famous for making the ordinary items of every day life into works of art. The fact that he chose to immortalize the Campbell's soup can is proof of how recognizeable the can was and is to millions of consumers.Campbell's is now a part of most American's every day life, as American as apple pie. There are lots of soups on the market but none of them are as well known as Campbell's. Do Campbell's soups taste any better than the rest? Probably not, but we will continue to buy Campbell's soup over the rest because of the familiarity we have with the product. It is not the taste that tempts us or the convenience of the product. What tempts us to buy Campbell's are all those Campbell's Kids and the clever advertising campaigns that has forever imprinted the Campbell's Soup Can into our memories.
Works Cited
http://www.campbellsoup.com/default.aspxhttp
www.labelsforeducation.com/about.aspxhttp:/www.campbellsoupcompany.com/history.asp?cpovisqhttp://www.kraftfoods.com/jello/
Campbell's Condensed Soup Back Label Recipes and More:Campbell Soup Company, Meredith Custom Publishing, Des Moines IA, 1995