Where's Betty?

Prepared Foods, Jan, 2002

The latest product from General Mills, Minneapolis, doesn't have the classic red spoon, the Big G logo or even the picture of Betty Crocker. The new Classics line comes with Triple Chocolate Brownies and Classic Carrot Cake mixes.

What's news is that these are sold in club stores, not mainstream supermarkets. Each box of brownie mix makes three batches. The 65.2-oz. box retails for $6.89.

The package graphics make the products appear far more upscale than the usual Betty Crocker offerings--more in line with products consumers can choose from at gourmet stores rather than in supermarkets. This smart marketing move gets General Mills' products in front of a wider audience and may serve the company better than the Country Inn Specialties line did for Kellogg (that upscale cereal line from Kellogg did not mention it was from Battle Creek).