Tag: PopIcon

By Heather Taylor When John Galardi founded Wienerschnitzel in 1961, it’s unlikely he could have known that his humble hot dog hut would grow to become the world’s largest hot dog chain. Home to chili dogs made with a secret recipe, this Southern California eatery also has bragging rights to the “world’s most wanted wiener.” The Delicious One, Wienerschnitzel’s brand…

By Heather Taylor Laura Rott turned 100-years-old on July 25, 2018. The Naperville, Illinois resident is now a centenarian, part of more than 72,000 United States individuals that are 100-years-old or older. She celebrated her big day alongside family and friends, with an extra special guest invited along for the fun – the Pillsbury Doughboy. Why would the Pillsbury Doughboy…

By Heather Taylor Happy 74th birthday, Smokey Bear! Administered by the United States Forest Service (USFS), the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), and the Ad Council, Smokey Bear is at the heart of the longest-running public service campaign in American history. As our world continues to face rapid climate change, Smokey’s message of protecting all public lands continues to be…

By Heather Taylor Remember when you were a kid and Mom would slip an encouraging note into your lunchbox that you would find later that day during school? You probably got the warm fuzzies after reading it and felt much better afterwards. You may even remember the details of the note itself — Mom’s cursive handwriting or a drawing of…

By Heather Taylor For more than 150 years, Hamm’s Beer has refreshed lager lovers everywhere but the beer really hit its stride at the tail end of 2017. As reported by MillerCoors (which counts Hamm’s among the brands it brews), Hamm’s was up 74.6 percent on an 87.3 percent jump in volume. Sales are increasing, continuing to draw in its…

By Heather Taylor As a kid, Joel Friedman loved listening to Kellogg’s jingles from the 1960s. “I liked the verses and music. They combined rhythm and meter and music in a way I found appealing.” Friedman said. Little did he know then, those jingles would pave the path for his career in advertising. Friedman has penned copy and jingles for…

By Heather Taylor Earlier this year, we shared a glimpse at the Olympic and Paralympic mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The official launch for the mascots was slated for Summer 2018 and the names of the characters have finally been revealed as… Miraitowa and Someity! Who’s who? Miraitowa (pronounced as “miray-towa”) is the Olympic mascot in blue. The…

By Heather Taylor Happy 99th anniversary, Pepto-Bismol! Launched in 1919 and currently produced by Procter & Gamble, this pink liquid has spent nearly a century acting as a medicine cabinet staple that treats and provide relief for the five symptoms of overindulgence including nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and diarrhea. In celebration of the major milestone, Pepto-Bismol has released an…

By Heather Taylor When Peter Lohmeier first joined Leo Burnett in 1974, the Kellogg’s Froot Loops account, brightly colored mascot Toucan Sam, and its tagline “Follow your nose!” had already been with the agency for four years. The cereal had been around much longer than that, debuting in 1963. In time, Lohmeier would rise from rotating through offices (there wasn’t…

By Heather Taylor For decades, we’ve spent lazy summers sipping on flavored frozen beverages from ICEE and SLUSH PUPPiE. Illustrated on each cup was a different mascot to represent the brand. ICEE has its ICEE Bear, staying cool in shades, blue pants, and a red shirt with a capital “I” stitched on it while SLUSH PUPPiE stars a pup in…

By Heather Taylor Meet David and Gigi. Just like the humans we see on any given episode of House Hunters, these two lovebirds are searching for the next perfect space to call home. Only David and Gigi actually are birds — a pair of animated, colorful hummingbirds — and their dream home is anywhere they can perch their nest. Or…

By Heather Taylor Roll that beautiful bean footage again, Sam. On July 3rd, the BUSH’S Beans Facebook account shared news that Sam, a golden retriever that had portrayed their brand mascot Duke in commercial spots, had passed away. While it has been years since Sam last worked with the brand, BUSH’S Beans expressed sadness over his passing and gratitude to have…

By Heather Taylor The biggest blockbuster of the summer isn’t part of the Marvel or Jurassic Park franchise. “Death Road,” a new TV spot for Burger King France from agency Buzzman, is a heart-stopping, chest-pounding, apocalyptic thrill ride where a chicken and a cone of French fries finally come face to face for the ultimate fast food showdown. Set in…

By Heather Taylor By now, it’s highly likely that you’ve munched on an Eskimo Pie. We take the creamy milk chocolate ‘n vanilla treat for granted as a freezer staple today, but it was actually patented in 1922 as America’s first chocolate-covered ice cream bar. According to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History, Christian Kent Nelson…

By Heather Taylor Nearly two weeks ago, we reported that Ernie Keebler and his merry band of Elves had uprooted their magical Hollow Tree to the heart of New York City for a special pop-up event in honor of Keebler’s new Whoopsy! Fudge Stripes cookies. Turns out a branch of the Keebler “FacTree” actually runs right into SoHo! While I…

By Heather Taylor Seth Werner still remembers the night he came up with the idea for the California Raisins. The year was 1986. Back then, Werner was 31-years-old and had been living and working in San Francisco, California for a year at the ad agency Foote Cone Belding. Mike Koelker, famous for creating the Levi’s “501 Blues” campaign, hired Werner…

By Heather Taylor The few giant characters we encounter in the advertising space have always proven to be great helpers. When we first meet the giant featured in the “Palau Pledge” campaign, however, he seems more like foe than friend to the country’s citizens. The unnamed, lavender colored giant arrives out of nowhere one day. He stomps on the island’s…

By Heather Taylor No need to check the date again while reading this — it’s not April 1st and we promise this post isn’t a joke. Fudgie the Whale, the beloved icon for Carvel ice cream, has his own beer. If you haven’t already tried it, the brew is described as a creamy stout made with hints of those famous…

By Heather Taylor Welcome to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia! Loyal fans of the sporting event may recall that the candidate for Russia’s mascot — then known as “Wolf” — was introduced in 2016. Since his initial debut, more than one million Russians cast their votes during the month-long voting period to pick his name. Wolf was renamed “Zabivaka”…

By Heather Taylor Have you heard of Jif Jaf? Launched by Kraft Heinz, Jif Jaf is a line of chocolate sandwich biscuits that recently debuted in China. Also available in wafer packs and butter cookies, the brand is meant to target Chinese millennials who are caught in a tug of war in wanting to fit in but also embrace their…