Everyone knows the face of the original Gerber baby, but every year, a new face is chosen to represent the company. On Thursday, Gerber revealed the latest spokesbaby who will take over the brand in 2016.
Everyone, meet Isla.
The adorable seven-month-old has already stolen our hearts with her sweet smile, chubby cheeks and crazy hair.
“Isla is always happy,” her mom, Rachael, told Today.com. “She's always smiling and giggling and on the move. Her favourite thing to do is dance to music and play with her big sister, Nora.”
Isla Welch from Michigan is the winner of the 6th annual Gerber Baby Photo Search. The adorable girl beat out 170,000 other contestants to win the title, the $50,000 grand prize and $1,500 worth of Gerber children’s wear. And to top it all off, Isla was chosen to represent the brand this year and will be featured in Gerber ads throughout 2016.
“While we received so many incredible entries, the judges all fell in love with Isla's cheeky smile and awesome hair,” Bernadette Tortorella, Gerber’s Senior Media Marketing Manager, said in a press release.
The original Gerber baby, Ann Turner Cook (pictured below), was also the winner of a national contest back in 1928. Cook’s neighbour, Dorothy Hope Smith, was the artist who drew the original sketch and won. The image then helped launched the brand and by 1931, it became Gerber’s official trademark.
In 2011, Gerber decided to find a new face to represent the brand, thus introducing the Gerber Baby Photo Search. While the spokesbabies do not replace the brand’s iconic logo, Gerber believes they are important for representing the company and their consumers.
“At Gerber, we recognize that every baby is a Gerber baby and look forward to choosing a little one to represent us each year through our annual Photo Search,” Senior Media Marketing Manager Tortorella said.
In response to her daughter’s new title as a Gerber baby, Isla’s mom told Today.com: “We're very excited to join the Gerber family. We know it will be a fun year filled with lots of great opportunities.”
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