The Twinkies story: How an American icon rose from the depths of bankruptcy

Geoffrey Precourt

This event report discusses how Hostess Brands LLC, the US bakery company, brought the iconic Twinkies and CupCakes brands back to store shelves after its predecessor filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Twinkies story: How an American icon rose from the depths of bankruptcy

Geoffrey PrecourtWarc

Twinkies were the stuff of American boomer legend. It was a time – back in the '50s and '60s – when food didn't have to be good for you, when sweet taste ruled in all-day snacking, and when TV's earliest icons celebrated the brand with integrated content that long predated the notion of "native" advertising.

The "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling" became so much a part of American culture that the "Twinkie Defense" came into the courtroom lexicon to describe defendants whose eating...

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands