1975 Brochure - Country Festival Corning Ware

A special four page brochure announced the launch of Country Festival mid 1975.  The language of the sales pitch is aimed at retailers, reminding them of the resounding success of Spice O' Life a few years before and assuring them that Country Festival will yield profits for them as well.  It also emphasizes how the new pattern has proven appeal for the target group.

(Photo:  The front page is adorned with a hand-made version of the pattern, evoking the rural folk-art roots of the traditional double distelfink design.) 

The text describes the market research methods Corning would use for choosing new patterns.  All new patterns were subjected to this type of study in order to avoid expensive failures.  Apparently Country Festival had 12.5% more gift appeal than Spice O' Life. 

'Stock Keeping Units' or SKUs are packages of product, they might contain a large set or just one piece.  They are the units that the consumer picks up and buys.

Three sets:  6-pc Menu-ette Set, 6-pc Kitchen Starter Set, 10-pc Chef Master Set.  The photos were staged at a farm museum in Pennsylvania.

One notable point about Country Festival is that Corning took every opportunity to assert that the design was registered under copyright law, and the phrase, "© 1975 Corning" is part of the pattern on all pieces.  Similar statements are also found on all literature which pictures this pattern, even the embroidery on the front of the brochure.  

The decision to copyright the newest Corning Ware pattern could have been prompted by the flood of Spice O' Life impersonations from other housewares manufacturers in early 1975.  If Corning's strategy was meant to deter the makers of look-alike products, it was ineffective.  Many companies made imitations of Country Festival anyway, some with their own copyright statements conspicuously placed within the pattern, just like the original.

Close-up of back page.  The pattern is slightly different on each item, and the largest pieces have 'more' pattern than the smaller ones.

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