The Wonder Bread Years? Advertiser Hopes So

Advertiser: Interstate Bakeries Corp.

Agency: Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis

Challenge: Create a contemporary image for Wonder Bread

The Ads: In three television spots, an absent-minded Professor Wonder enumerates the virtues of Wonder Bread in a goofy style aimed at kids. When he talks about iron (the mineral), a giant iron (the appliance) drops to the floor. And when he stuffs his mouth with bread so much that he can’t speak, a “Please Stand By” graphic appears on the screen. The ads subtly spoof old Wonder bread ads that baby boomers viewed as children. One ad tracks Professor Wonder’s growth from a small child to an adult. In another ad, a child flexes a pair of heavily padded biceps.

Comment: These spots target increasingly brand-conscious youngsters who have a say in what goes into their parents’ shopping carts. And like many ads aimed at kids, the chief attribute being pitched is a sense that Wonder Bread is cool. The spots take a subtle anti-advertising approach, poking fun at healthy ingredients such as iron and spoofing exaggerated claims about stronger muscles. It remains to be seen whether media-savvy youngsters will buy the pitch. $$+