Editor's note: This article appeared in the November 24, 2008, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

When asked about new products from 2008, 69 percent of survey respondents could not remember a single new product launched during the year. Even the most memorable new product of 2008 - the Wii Fit - was recalled by only 22 percent of respondents in aided recall, according to the Most Memorable New Product Launch Survey (MMNPL), a study conducted by Boston public relations company Schneider Associates; Mintel International, the London division of Chicago research company Mintel; and Chicago research company Information Resources Inc.

"2008 was a year of distractions, with the average American's attention pulled in many different directions simultaneously," says Lynn Dornblaser, director of trend insight at Mintel. "The fervent presidential campaigns and election genuinely excited many voters. But even more, we saw people deeply impacted by the financial crisis. From higher food prices to unemployment to housing scares, economic struggles seriously affected the way many people lived this year."

Given a list of 50 new product launches from 2008, people most commonly remembered the following:

     1. Nintendo Wii Fit (recalled by 22 percent of respondents in aided recall)

     2. iPod Touch (16 percent)

     3. Bud Light Lime (15 percent)

     4. McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Biscuit & Sandwich (14 percent)

     5. Kraft Mac & Cheese Crackers (13 percent)

     6. KY Yours + Mine Couples Lubricant (12 percent)

     7. Gatorade G2, Yoplait Fiber One (11 percent, two-way tie)

     8. MacBook Air, Rock Band, Burger King Apple Fries, Neosporin Neo To Go!, Kraft Bagel-fuls (8 percent, five-way tie)