Ayds Candy was initially introduced in 1940 as a diet aid and appetite suppressant. They claimed the product could cause the user to “lose up to 10 pounds in 5 days, without dieting or exercising.”
By the mid-1980s, public awareness of AIDS brought notoriety to the brand due to the phonetic similarity of names and the fact that the disease caused immense weight loss in patients.
After sales plummeted, the candy was rebranded to “Aydslim” by adding “slim” to its name. After that failed it was named “Diet Ayds.” Marketing strategists criticized both choices since it still contained the name of the disease.
