# "Everything's Better With Blue Bonnet On It!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115 "2005-05-23T17:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/1 "2005-05-23T17:06:31Z")
[BLUE BONNET](http://www.conagrafoods.com/brands/blue_bonnet.jsp), [HAMM’S BEER](http://mmd.foxtail.com/Sounds/hamms.html), [QUISP](http://www.quisp.com/); Just to name a few. At one time you couldn’t turn the television on without catching a commercial for one of them. The airwaves for years were swarming with ads for such products. Today they are not advertised at all. This wouldn’t confuse me except for one thing: These products still exist! They’re sold everywhere nation wide! I’ve personally seen them in stores from Wisconsin to Maine, from Arizona to Florida, and everywhere in between. Why does a corporation go from advertising the living snot out of their product, and then completely cut it out, yet still continue to manufacture said product? How do they expect to sell without any advertising whatsoever, especially when the item was advertised like crazy at one time? After the ads stop, don’t sales drop off eventually? Is there some kind of matrix with the data comparing the cost of ads with the extra sales the ads produce, or are there other reasons this kind of thing happens? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/2 "2005-05-23T17:33:05Z")
So they’ve got **Quisp** again (and here in Boston? At Star Market? I haven’t seen it!), but what about **Quake**? If they brought back Quake, would it be the fat old Quake (with the miner’s helmet [http://www.chowhound.com/quisp/quisp.html](http://www.chowhound.com/quisp/quisp.html)[http://theimaginaryworld.com/qwwisp03.jpg](http://theimaginaryworld.com/qwwisp03.jpg) ) or the slim new Quake (with the cowboy hat [http://theimaginaryworld.com/box1303.jpg](http://theimaginaryworld.com/box1303.jpg))? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/3 "2005-05-23T17:57:30Z")
It’s different for each brand. Looking up Blue Bonnet magarine, I see it’s manufactured by Unilever. Other Unilever magarine brands are Fleischmann’s, Imperial, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. The latter is obviously where they concentrate their advertising. Often, with older brands, a company will concentrate on newer products, figuring that sales for the old brands are going to be about the same no matter what they do. There’s no reason to promote an older product as long as the sales remain steady, and it’s unlikely for a product to benefit from an ad campaign unless you can say something new about it, or you feel it’s time to introduce it to a new generation of consumers. It also may have to do with patterns of how margarine are bought; if people tend to buy on price, it’s hard to promote an item with a high price, and you don’t need to promote an item with a low price. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/4 "2005-05-23T17:58:57Z")
I’ve wondered the same thing. There are lots of things like this. Hmmm, like what? Oh, Camay Soap! Remember the lady with the accent who claimed everyone said to her: “Luciana! You have such be-yoooootiful skin!” And the old man beers are big for this. For example, Pabst, Shaefer, Schlitz were all advertized a lot back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/5 "2005-05-23T18:13:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There’s no reason to promote an older product as long as the sales remain steady I had thought about it like that. But look at old products that everyone knows about that are still advertised like crazy. There must be some basic formula companies use to determine advetising budgets per product. > [@Caricci](#): > > I’ve wondered the same thing. There are lots of things like this. > And the old man beers are big for this. For example, Pabst, Shaefer, Schlitz were all advertized a lot back in the day. There are tons of products that did this, but beer is an excellent example. PBR, Old Style, Hamms, Schlitz. Back in the 70’s and 80’s there was an ad for one of them every other commercial break. Today, not a one. But the products still exist. When it was advertised SCHLITZ was one of the biggest sellers on the planet. So, did sales slump because beer drinkers tastes changed, or because advertising was cut? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/6 "2005-05-23T18:25:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > When it was advertised SCHLITZ was one of the biggest sellers on the planet. > > So, did sales slump because beer drinkers tastes changed, or because advertising was cut? The Schlitz brewing company ceased to exist when they were acquired by Stroh’s in the '90s, and subsequently sold to Pabst, who own the rights to the name today. Some beer is still brewed with the Schlitz name on it, but it really bears no relation to the Schlitz of yore; it is just one label among many owned by Pabst. [http://www.pabst.com/ourbeer.htm](http://www.pabst.com/ourbeer.htm) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/7 "2005-05-23T18:30:45Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > The Schlitz brewing company ceased to exist when they were acquired by Stroh’s in the '90s, and subsequently sold to Pabst, who own the rights to the name today. Some beer is still brewed with the Schlitz name on it, but it really bears no relation to the Schlitz of yore; it is just one label among many owned by Pabst. That bears no factor as to why it’s not advertised. The product exists, I assume they would like to sell it. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/8 "2005-05-23T18:38:37Z")
I expect in most of these cases the answer has to do with corporate mergers and buy-outs. The original manufacturer of a product probably advertised all over the place, but when the company was acquired by UltraMegaCorp that advertising became less of a priority ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/9 "2005-05-23T18:47:58Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I assume they would like to sell it. Not nationally. Some labels are only produced for local markets. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/10 "2005-05-23T18:49:51Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > And the old man beers are big for this. For example, Pabst, Shaefer, Schlitz were all advertized a lot back in the day. My choice for the all-time greatest beer ad is the one [Cream](http://www.lyriczz.com/lyriczz.php?songid=6610) recorded for Falstaff back in the psychedelic '60s. They play this great proto-metal riff that sounds like “Sunshine of Your Love” played inside-out, while Jack Bruce wails in his most over-the-top voice about **"Faaaaaalstaff: the thirst slaker!"** ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/11 "2005-05-23T19:08:45Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > So they’ve got **Quisp** again (and here in Boston? At Star Market? I haven’t seen it!)… They’re only listing 6 retailers in the entire US…not exactly what I’d consider “_sold everywhere nation wide_”[ol][li]Wisconsin - Woodman’s[/li][li]Milwaukee, WI - Kohl’s[/li][li]Chicago, IL - Cub[/li][li]Boston, MA - Star Market[/li][li]Denver, CO - Albertson’s[/li][li]Buffalo, NY - Tops[/ol][/li]I’ll nominate [Tab](http://www.usasoda.com/Coketab.htm); which is still sold nationwide (and consumed by addicts around the world). Coca-Cola stopped marketing it shortly after Diet Coke was released and treats the brand like a red-headed stepchild. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/12 "2005-05-23T19:19:04Z")
[quote] They’re only listing 6 retailers in the entire US…not exactly what I’d consider “sold everywhere nation wide” Wisconsin - Woodman’s Milwaukee, WI - Kohl’s Chicago, IL - Cub **Boston, MA - Star Market** Denver, CO - Albertson’s Buffalo, NY - Tops [/'quote] Yeah, but note that one of them is Star Market in Boston, where I live (and I shop at Star). That’s why I’m surprised to note that I haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/13 "2005-05-23T19:20:57Z")
The answer is probably simple return on investment (ROI). A national ad campaign is incredibly expensive, probably in the nature of tens of millions of dollars. That’s the investment. What’s the return? How many extra percentage points of the market will this campaign provide? How much profit is involved in each extra percentage point? How much of these extra sales will come from cannibalizing the sales of your other brands? How much do you have to pay supermarkets in shelving fees to stock the additional amount of this product they will need to carry? How much do you have to put into couponing and other promotions? And what will happen to the sales as soon as you stop all this expensive advertising? Existing brands are cash cows. They make money without needing much of anything in the way of investment. If you want to do a national advertising campaign you better have an equally incredibly good reason to match the incredible expense or your head will roll. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/14 "2005-05-23T19:32:03Z")
> [@JohnBckWLD](#): > > They’re only listing 6 retailers in the entire US…not exactly what I’d consider “_sold everywhere nation wide_”[ol][li]Wisconsin - Woodman’s[/li][li]Milwaukee, WI - Kohl’s[/li][li]Chicago, IL - Cub[/li][li]Boston, MA - Star Market[/li][li]Denver, CO - Albertson’s[/li][li]Buffalo, NY - Tops[/ol][/li]I’ll nominate [Tab](http://www.usasoda.com/Coketab.htm); which is still sold nationwide (and consumed by addicts around the world). Coca-Cola stopped marketing it shortly after Diet Coke was released and treats the brand like a red-headed stepchild. I’ve seen Quisp in Phoenix, Minneapolis, & Sarasota, just to name a few. Also, it’s being sold here [Milwaukee] at Pick & Save and Jewel, neither affiliated with Kohls. So that info is wrong. The Tab example is a really good one though. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/15 "2005-05-23T20:30:19Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I had thought about it like that. But look at old products that everyone knows about that are still advertised like crazy. There must be some basic formula companies use to determine advetising budgets per product. > > There are tons of products that did this, but beer is an excellent example. PBR, Old Style, Hamms, Schlitz. Back in the 70’s and 80’s there was an ad for one of them every other commercial break. Today, not a one. But the products still exist. > When it was advertised SCHLITZ was one of the biggest sellers on the planet. > > So, did sales slump because beer drinkers tastes changed, or because advertising was cut? My theory is that every generation has its beer. They’re gonna stay with that beer. Geezer beers are gaining popularity for some reason. But the geezers remain loyal while the young kids drink Coronas and Heinekens. Ads will stop for them eventually, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/16 "2005-05-23T20:32:05Z")
Forgot to say I think the geezer beers are cheap and that’s why they’re gaining popularity… I never liked beer much, but Hamms and all those smell terrible to me! ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/17 "2005-05-23T20:48:00Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > When it was advertised SCHLITZ was one of the biggest sellers on the planet. > > So, did sales slump because beer drinkers tastes changed, or because advertising was cut? [The demise of The Schlitz](http://www.chiptin.com/schlitz/history6.htm) Brewing Company: > [@](#): > > The brewery’s image was further eroded in 1976, when Schlitz was forced to dump ten million bottles and cans of its Memphis and Tampa beer that was discovered to be “hazy”. Sales plummeted, and the company’s image stood little chance of recovery…In 1978, a federal grand jury brought 747 indictments against the Schlitz brewery for illegally marketing its products. These indictments charged Schlitz with restraint of trade, contending that the brewery’s programs were designed to encourage retail outlets to primarily or exclusively sell Schlitz beer. Although the company eventually escaped with a small fine, the damage to the firm’s reputation was great, and permanent…Schlitz started conducting live beer commercials in 1980 and 1981 in an effort to bolster its sagging beer sales. Schlitz had been ranked as the number two brewery in the country as late as 1976, but its image was tarnished following some brewery process changes and bad publicity. Schlitz saw itself passed by Miller and Pabst, with Heileman in hot pursuit. Under the direction of Frank Sellinger, Schlitz again changed its recipe and began to use more barley malt…Sellinger’s ad campaign used blind taste tests, televised live. One hundred beer drinkers, loyal to a competitor’s brand, drank both the competitor’s beer and Schlitz from unmarked mugs. Because the tests were conducted during the half-times of nationally televised professional football games, a large audience was guaranteed. The actual drinking was done off the air since it was illegal to show someone drinking beer on the air, when the camera came on, a referee blew his whistle, and the hundred tasters threw switches to indicate which beer they preferred. Even though 38-50 % of the competitors’ loyal drinkers chose Schlitz instead of their own, this innovative media hype could not forestall the negative momentum; its image continued to erode and the company found itself in increasingly serious financial trouble…A final blow, in June 1981, workers at the Schlitz plant in Milwaukee again went on strike. Plagued by an excess of brewing capacity and a very inefficient plant, in addition to all of its other problems, Schlitz’s board of directors decided to close the Milwaukee operation, keeping only the executive offices open. This move not only angered the strikers, who lost their jobs, but infuriated faithful Milwaukeeans, who changed the once-famous slogan to “Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee furious.” ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/18 "2005-05-23T20:54:54Z")
I think RealityChuck has the answer. A company with a flagship product gets bought by a competitor. The new company recognizes that the old brand still has value, but they prefer to advertise THEIR flagship product, figuring that the other brand will just cannibalize sales from their flagship brand. It costs them next to nothing to print two different boxes and put the exact same product into both. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/19 "2005-05-23T21:13:44Z")
There are in fact, companies that buy up old brand names and just keep selling them, usually as off-price competitors. Purina Dog Chow, for example, is now owned by Nestle. They also own the higher-margin Pro Plan and Alpo brands, and that’s where they put their investment. As for Quisp, take a look at Quaker’s other brands. They don’t do much advertising, period. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115/20 "2005-05-23T23:19:29Z")
Remember **Bon Ami™** and its slogan “Hasn’t scratched yet” ? Haven’t seen that advertised in a long while. Maybe it got an unsolicited testimonial from the running joke in “The Ghost and Mr Chicken” > **[The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059221/)** > > The Ghost and Mr. Chicken: Directed by Alan Rafkin. With Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Liam Redmond, Dick Sargent. A timid typesetter hasn't a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter - until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a... In an old mansion where a murder was committed, blood was splattered everywhere … even on the organ keys. And it was still there … even to this day … “And they used Bon Ami”. With publicity like that - who needs to advertise? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-better-with-blue-bonnet-on-it/305115.md?page=2)