The ad was for the new line of Gerber food with a mother talking about how "great" the food was for her child. Even though she is in the center of the screen, one cannot help but notice the active toddler making a mess running from left to right. At the end, the all-American Gerber baby drawing pops up. Sure, Gerber is selling their canned food, but they're also selling the adorable baby on their logos.
The baby of this multi-billion dollar industry is now a high school English teacher and a great grandmother. She has since received compensation, but not even 1% of the company's worth. The now elderly Gerber baby claims that the success is not because of the food itself but because the face on the cans "reminds [parents] of their own babies". The emotional attachment mothers have for babies, especially their own, is being manipulated to sell a product.
As the CEO of Gerber, Marilyn Knox notes at 1:45, "there's little doubt (that the photo played a role in the success). you don't even need the word gerber on it". The company is not selling baby food, it's selling the Gerber baby.
It's so interesting to find out where the Gerber baby is now. Definitely interesting that they are still using the same image as their logo. You're right the image does sell because of that emotional attachment. I think it also has to do with Gerber now being such a well-known name in the baby industry that parents can't help but trust buying their products for their child. Gerber has had its fair share of scandals, though. In 1986 there was a big investigation over glass being found in the baby food they were selling. Over 140 reports were filed about it, yet Gerber let the product remain on shelves, and Gerber food continues to be a top selling baby food brand. Gerber has gained the trust of mothers through its advertising, yet the company hasn't proven itself entirely trustworthy.
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