BrandlandUSA

America’s authority on legacy brands. News and comment on classic brands and advertising.

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The Krafty Treatment of Sanka, Hardly Worth Beans

September 26th, 2011 · 1 Comment

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In just about every restaurant kitchen, the decaffeinated coffee pot has an orange band. Ask a person under 30 why that band is colored orange, and they won’t know. They will know that it means decaf, but they won’t know why. The reason, of course, it is orange is because orange is the packaging color [...]

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Tags: Grocery

Nabs or Peanut Butter Crackers? Bring Back Nabs

May 17th, 2011 · 3 Comments

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A few years ago, on a Delta flight, I recall an attendant handing out Lance peanut crackers, along with Cokes. How delightfully Southern and declassé, but in a good, circumspect way. I was curious how such a staple of the Southern diet, namely a Coke and Nabs, could be served on an airline that made [...]

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Tags: Candy · Grocery

Sound an Alarm for Eight O’Clock Coffee, Please

September 4th, 2010 · 5 Comments

Eight O Clock Coffee

Just returned from my neighborhood Winn Dixie where a register printer-generated coupon informed me to look for the same taste, new look Eight O’Clock Coffee. I was appalled at the change; I thought the company had decided to retain the venerable red bag. The TATA Group, owners of the iconic Eight O’Clock Coffee brand, are [...]

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Tags: Grocery

Warren: Let’s Roll With Life Savers Manufacturing, Not Charity

August 24th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Vi-O-Let Life Savers

Early this month, many in the billionaire club signed a pledge to give away at least half their fortunes to charity, all led by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. And who can argue with that? It’s their cash and their right. But the story sort of struck me wrong after I looked up the ownership [...]

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Tags: Candy

What’s Wrong With Life Savers?

August 23rd, 2010 · 1 Comment

Life Saver Vintage Package

SARASOTA – One night last week, I helped melt Life Savers in the oven. For my wife’s vacation bible school class, they made the week’s theme the stained glass windows in Church of the Redeemer. After seeing the windows of this Sarasota Bay church, the kids took cookies and topped them with “stained glass” chips [...]

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Tags: Candy

Seven Seas Search Is Over

August 3rd, 2010 · 2 Comments

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Kraft apparently has some new versions of their Seven Seas sub-brand on the shelves. On a recent visit to Publix, we spied these new shelf entries for Seven Seas. The logo makes the familiar Kraft oval less prominent than the “Seven Seas” triangle. A fairly nice approach to preserving the legacy and goodwill of an [...]

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Tags: Grocery

General Foods Brand to Completely Disappear?

July 27th, 2010 · 2 Comments

General Foods International Coffee

General Foods International Coffees, the last stand of the General Foods brand, might be on its way out. It appears that the coffee’s maker, Kraft, is testing a new Suisse Mocha under the Maxwell House brand. In the photo here, at right is the older version, General Foods International Coffee that is “from the makers [...]

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Tags: News

Mercury’s Future, Waiting to Hear About Postum

May 19th, 2010 · 1 Comment

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A few notes of items in the news, or on my desk: The new Big G Kids Cereals ads from General Mills are great. Animated Lucky Charms leprechaun are talkin’ nutrition next to the kids. Smart stuff. I’m so cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. And the leprechaun and Cocoa bird are in the SAME commercial. Postum [...]

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Tags: Advertising

Shake N Bake Back to Advertising

December 17th, 2009 · No Comments

GLENVIEW, Ill. – A TV advertising favorite is going back to advertising, at least in one region in the U.S. To help remind consumers that Shake ‘N Bake is still around, this December Shake ‘N Bake is marketing to local consumers with ads in 17 Boston-area shopping malls. The ads are sort of cheeky, with [...]

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Tags: Advertising · News

Old London Melba Toast, WASP Cocktail Snack

October 15th, 2009 · 3 Comments

Old London Melba Toast

One of our favorite Partridge Family episodes was when Shirley Partridge met up with a millionare man who had made a fortune in Melba toast. Lucky for us, you can read about the episode, which starred John Astin, on IMDB. Forever and forever, Melba toast has been amusing. I think at one time in the [...]

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Tags: Grocery