Picklemakers Finding Their Way Out of a Pickle

Pickle manufacturers are in something of a pickle these days as they search for ways to drive more "aisle turn-in." In other words, with pickles located in the condiment aisle in most grocery stores, they're about as far away from the "impulse buy" sections as one salty jar of vinegary vegetables can be.

What's more, during traffic pattern mapping, grocery consultants discovered that the condiment aisle is visited by just 20% of shoppers, though a full 60% of shoppers will pass through the produce section or the dairy aisle.

So what's a pickle maker to do? Change their marketing, for one. On Monday, the Vlasic "brand character," a stork with glasses perched on his long beak, began appearing in the meat section next to the ground beef. After all, what's more quintessentially American than a hamburger with pickle slices? The stork's also started showing up in the bread section next to the buns (in keeping with the hamburger theme). Ads on shopping carts also promote the perfection of hamburgers with Vlasic pickles.