The processed and packaged food industry seeks to convince cooks to buy new products and incorporate them into cooking routines. This 1909 advertisement for Jell-O uses several different strategies. Jell-O is easy because “any woman can make it” and recipes are not needed. The statement “every woman likes to serve new recipes” uses the bandwagon technique. Readers can order an inexpensive yet beautiful cookbook of exotic recipes using Jell-O. The woman featured in the advertisement is white, middle class, and at leisure. The smaller image of the child suggests children love Jell-O too.
Advertisement, Jell-O, McClure’s Magazine, (December 1909): 114.
Image featured in Investigating Family, Food, and Housing Themes in Social Studies by Cynthia Resor
Students still know about and eat Jell-O, so this image will be extremely beneficial when teaching a unit about advertisements and the media. Students can consider the audience and advertising strategies used and compare to current advertisements for Jell-O all the way up to today.