Sunsweet’s Pitch for Prunes Leaves Bitter Taste

Advertiser: Sunsweet Prunes

Agency: J. Walter Thompson, San Francisco

Challenge: Change the perception of prunes as a fruit for seniors to keep them regular.

The Ads: Four black-and-white commercials directed at women associate attractiveness with prune consumption. One ad shows a slender, youthful woman walking alone along a shoreline. “This is an ad for prunes,” a legend says as the woman bites a prune. “You expected something old and wrinkled?” Another spot shows a thin dancer in a revealing two-piece garment (possibly her underwear). “You don’t get a body like this eating nachos,” the legend says. Another ad focuses on faces of three dreamy-eyed women as the legend puts a twist on an old adage. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” it says. “What if you’re trying to attract the doctor?”

Comment: Prunes are a hard sell, and Sunsweet knows it. So it unwisely plays on the insecurities women have about their looks. Sure, a handful of prunes may be more healthful than a bag of potato chips. But the notion that prunes can make you more attractive is absurd--and seems desperate on Sunsweet’s part. C’mon Sunsweet. If prunes have nutritional benefits, why not talk about that? Women not only have bodies. They have brains. $

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Ads are rated from $ to $$$$, based on tastefulness and probable effectiveness, with $$$$ being highest.