January 25, 2012
Leslie Phillips, President & COO
It feels kind of funny to put these words — Twinkies and MG — in the same sentence. But, too late! This article (from Fast Company magazine) talks about something we admire and strive for…an “eternal brand”…and features “The” golden sponge cake as an example of just that. In November, even MSNBC termed their looming departure the “end of an era”.
Recent news is they may be bought by Flowers Foods or Grupo Bimbo (popular brands between these bidders include Nature’s Own and Entenmann’s). But, I kid you not, on ebay there is a box of Halloween Twinkies listed for $4,500. We could use this as a lively platform for social and fiscal discussion, but there’s no denying there’s some serious Twinkie loyalty out there.
So, what good can we learn from that? According to The Disney Institute…something!
- Carefully built brands are strong enough to sustain almost any bad press.
- Create a story around your brand (especially one that reminds people of the joys of childhood!).
- Know what makes you different and be loyal to your customer.
- Be your toughest critic…be honest enough to confront your brand’s weaknesses and find ways to continually improve your delivery.
