wonder and hollywood

The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis was planning to launch its 1.5 pound loaf of bread. But first, the new product needed a name and identity. Vice President Elmer Cline was charged with merchandising development of the new bread loaf.

Inspiration struck while Elmer was visiting the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Speedway. He was awestruck by a sky filled with hundreds of colorful balloons. To Elmer, the image signified a sense of “wonder,” and Wonder® Bread was born. Since that time, the colorful red, blue and yellow balloons have been the cornerstone of Wonder Bread’s logo and package.

In 1925, the Continental Baking Company bought the Indianapolis bakery and Wonder Bread soon became a national brand.

origins of wonder

Intervention opportunity?

According to the latest findings, we spend 58% of our waking time interacting with the media; people sleep less and spend less time with their family in order to watch more television; megaplexes and superstores are increasingly designed to resemble theme parks; and the Mall of America in Minneapolis hosts more visitors than Walt Disney World, Disneyland and the Grand Canyon combined. In his new book, The Entertainment Economy: How Mega-Media Forces Are Transforming Our Lives, Michael J. Wolf asserts: “We have come to expect that we will be entertained all the time. Products and brands that deliver on this expectation are succeeding. Products that do not will disappear.”

© Véronique Vienne, First published by Communication Arts, March/April 2000

they are snickering right in front of us......