Can I interest you in a tasty prune?
Probably not, if you’re like most people. Why is that? Because they’re associated with constipation. California plum growers actually petitioned the FDA several years ago to start calling prunes, dried plums instead in an attempt to overcome the negative connotations associated with the fruit. Older generations didn’t seem to mind the term “prune” and the dried fruit sold like crazy until recent years. As more and more Baby Boomers reached the age where they’d typically start adding prunes to their diet for obvious reasons, the negative connotations prevented the fruit from crossing over the generation gap between Post Wars and Boomers.
Boomers didn’t want to think of themselves as old. After all, old people eat prunes. Boomers wanted to remain youthful and essentially denied any need for the wrinkled fruit. It wasn’t until the name was officially changed by the FDA in February 2001, that Boomers started adopting the fruit as part of their daily diet.
Are you selling a product that had negative connotations associated with it? Is it perhaps time for a facelift? Maybe a name change? Prunes aren’t the only ones to have undergone the renovation. Recently, veggie sticks have caught on and are on pace to outsell potato chips because of their healthy sounding name. Or how about muffins. Who would eat cake for breakfast? No one. How about a muffin instead? You bet.