New Yorkers in Exile

[BullNBear52]

Bazooka Joe, bubble gum icon, dead at 59
New York Business Journal
Date: Friday, November 30, 2012, 3:27pm EST - Last Modified: Monday, December 3, 2012, 11:14am EST

Say it ain’t so, Joe.

Bazooka Candy Brands, a subsidiary of the Brooklyn-based Topps Co., is redesigning its packaging and ending comic strips featuring its mascot, Bazooka Joe, according to the New York Times.

The Times quotes Anthony Trani, vice president of branding for the company, as saying that the brand changed in order to become more relevant to children. The report went on to state that, according to E-Poll Market Research, the Bazooka Joe character, introduced in 1953, is recognized by only 7 percent of children today between the ages of 6 and 12, and has only a 41 percent favorability rating among them, below the 54 percent average for food characters.

As of this writing, the brand’s web site URL is still BazookaJoe.com, but BusinessInsider reports the company will start running ads with the new branding in March 2013.

http://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2012/11/30/bazooka-joe-pushed-out-in-rebranded.html