Graham Crackers For Everyone!

Honey Maid, that old-fashioned brand of graham crackers, has launched an ad that shows, in the most radical and moving way of any national campaign so far, how much that has changed. It shows a two-dad family, a rocker family, a single dad, an interracial family, a military family. The two-dad household is featured at some length; you cannot be distracted away from it. Most striking is the tagline of the ad: “No matter how things change, what makes us wholesome never will. Honey Maid. Everyday wholesome snacks for every wholesome family. This is wholesome.” The ad is deeply heartwarming — not simply because it shows diversity (which other companies have done) but because it labels these families with the word “wholesome,” which is exactly the kind of word that tends to get claimed by the evangelical right.

Andrew Solomon writes for the New Yorker’s Currency blog about Honey Maid’s new ad campaign, and how following the ad money means that in some states, advertising is more progressive than public policy. I think Solomon puts it best here: “I’d prefer that people such as I get our rights because we command respect and evince dignity, but if we get them because there’s money in it, that’s fine.”

And yes, some YouTube commenters were, shall we say, displeased with the ad, but according to Honey Maid, “ten times as many” people left messages of support. As a follow-up, they hired two artists, Linsey Burritt and Crystal Grover, to take all the negative comments and turn them into a paper sculpture that spelled out “Love.” Booya.

I will now spend the weekend trying to decide what word we will hire an artist duo to spell out with Billfold comments.

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