Hostess & Brand Influence

It was not hard to recognize what influenced Americans most this week.  The outpouring of sentiment across media at the news that Hostess was shutting its doors was tremendous – reflecting the power and influence of brands on children.

To quote one tweet I received, as we sent out condolences to one another: “I can’t remember the last time I had a Twinkee.  But it’s still so sad!”   It’s not about what we’re eating now – Hostess is in trouble because not enough of us are Twinkeed out.  Instead, our culture has become more health/snack conscious and has been shunning these types of foods.   But that hasn’t stopped the shock factor of losing one of America’s “favorite” brands… and may be the best hope for a resurrection….

Of course, every media outlet had its twist on the closing.  Fox News was all about the union battle that led to the closing decision.  The Huffington Post blog was about how declining sales, over time, led to the company’s demise.  But the Boston Globe hit the nail on the head when it comes to “influence.”  With a photograph, they noted the buying frenzy for the last of Hostess memories.  

As one mother lamented for her 2 yr. old daughter: “She’s never had a Twinkie…I can’t wrap my head around it. It was always in lunchboxes, and I was a teacher. They’ve always been there.”

And therein lies the power of brand influence.  We may not have bought one for decades but the sentiment hangs on.  No one wants Hostess to disappear forever – it represents the staple of our childhood. 

“Adrienne Vincent, 52, of Braintree, was already feeling nostalgic about her favorite Hostess snack — Devil Dogs — and feared it might bring her to tears. She recalled climbing out of the family swimming pool as a child to be greeted by her mom with the chocolate cake sandwiches, shaped like a hot dog bun, with a creamy filling.”

Hostess represents childhood to us – to the joys of eating those sugary, fatty, high-calorie foods when we were young and our parents didn’t know any better. 

We’ll see where the Hostess story goes. In the meantime, we should salute Hostess for the power of their brand influence over us – even if we only realize it when the doors have shut.