1. Choosy Moms choose Jif

Normally, when one thinks of family heirlooms, one thinks of a certain piece of jewelry, furniture, a portrait, etc. But over the last half century, peanut butter has become one of the things to add to that list.

In North America, peanut butter evokes fond memories of childhood, family, and home. Elsewhere in the world, peanut butter is an unsavory American oddity. It's enormously popular here--some 75% of Americans have some in their pantry right now. And like Judaism, baldness, and a number of other things, many of us inherit our peanut butter brand loyalty from our mothers.

Most consumers of peanut butter seem to be strictly loyal to one brand or another. Advertising seems only to have a small part in it, considering two of the top brands, Reese's and Peter Pan, rarely advertise at all. What causes us to stick solely to one brand, then? Is it in our DNA?

I have eaten Jif for the last 20 years. Any other brand makes me cringe.

For more interesting data on peanut butter brand loyalty, market share, and advertising: click here.


Feedback: When I got feedback from Laura, she automatically assumed that my loyalty to Jif was something caused by nostalgia for the lunches my mother packed for me. I don't mean to criticize her assumptions, but my mom never made my lunch while I was in school. I suppose she was the one who bought the food, but I loathingly got up every morning and made my own PB&J. It's not the good memories that keep me coming back. It's a more complicated mix of advertising, tastes, cost, and convenience. But most of all I think it's based on the decisions of the person who buys the household's groceries: stereotypically and probably most likely, the mother.