The story of the queen of the supermarket baking shelf revealed!
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Great Big Story | 2017-01-26 07:00:46 |  1,839,806 Views |
How Betty Crocker Was Created
As you stand in the baking aisle of the grocery store you wonder which cake mix is best for the occasion. But for many mothers and grandmothers there is one brand that stands alone. Today this famous brand has gone from a recognizable logo to a red cooking spoon. Say hello to Betty Crocker. Ever wondered if she was a real person or a marketing phenomenon?
“After a century in the media Betty Crocker has become a fully established American symbol of the family home cherished and looked up to by generations” said Margaret J. King Ph.D. director of Cultural Studies & Analysis a think tank that advises companies on their fit with culture and cultural values. “Her image is a clear symbol of middle-class productivity and women as homemakers.”
But Betty Crocker wasn’t a real person; a contest would inspire her creation. The Washburn-Crosby Company which owned Gold Medal Flour (and later sold to General Mills) always responded to customer inquiries. In 1921 the company advertised a contest in the Saturday Evening Post in which contestants would complete and mail in a jigsaw puzzle. They didn’t expect a flood of baking questions to come along with the contest entries. Although they received letters often and always responded the company seized the moment by creating a persona to answer home cooks’ questions. Betty Crocker was born. According to King “answering letters was already part of the company’s public relations department; creating an entirely new persona was innovative marketing genius.”
