New Pearl Milling Company ads remind customers it was Aunt Jemima – not to mention the racist brand

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Aunt Jemima is not mentioned in two of the new Pearl Milling Company commercials, one of which aired on Monday. But parent company PepsiCo said reminding customers that the brand’s products haven’t changed is one of the goals of the ad campaign.

Driving sales is another.

“Since we are only in the early stages of the rebranding process, it is necessary that we emphasize that Pearl Milling Company has the same good taste that consumers have known for generations and with a new name that welcomes people from all walks of life, “a PepsiCo spokesperson told CNN Business.” There is also an opportunity for us to accelerate growth in the pancakes and syrups categories.

PepsiCo and its subsidiary Quaker Oats announced in June 2020 that they were phasing out the Aunt Jemima brand due to its racist origins, something critics have been calling companies to do for decades.

In February, PepsiCo confirmed that Aunt Jemima would become Pearl Milling Company, a callback to the late 19th-century company that invented the original ready-made pancake mix.

The new smiley ads feature Black families enjoying Pearl Milling Company pancakes and syrup around the breakfast table as narrator tell viewers the story of the new brand.

“Pearl Milling Company is nothing new in this area,” the narrator said during one of the commercials. “Our perfectly chewy, syrupy goodness has been there for every special moment and we will always be there. Stack the Mmmoments.”

Pearl Milling Company products began hitting grocery store shelves in June. PepsiCo said it was too early to say how well the new brand is selling compared to Aunt Jemima.

“The shelves are still in transition, so it’s too early to share sales figures, but we’re encouraged when we look at the initial speed performance of Pearl Milling Company,” PepsiCo said via email.

Pearl Milling Company Pancake & Waffle Mix.
Aunt Jemima’s retirement announcement came following the police murder of George Floyd last year, triggering a domino effect among food brands with problematic logos and packaging. Uncle Ben’s, Mrs. Butterworth’s and Cream of Wheat are just three of the brands that have confirmed they will revise their packaging or rebrand the products entirely.
The NFL Washington football team has also announced that it will change its old nickname, an insult against Native Americans, after having resisted calls to do so for decades. A spokesperson for the team told CNN Business earlier this summer that they won’t be revealing a new name until next year.

Ms Butterworth’s parent company, Conagra Brands, told CNN Business earlier this summer that it was still reviewing the shape of the syrup brand’s bottle.

PepsiCo said the first of its three new 30-second TV commercials aired on Monday. “Two more spots featuring additional families will air in early October,” the company said.

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