Hostess wobbled on a two-legged stool, supported by Twinkies and Wonder bread. Hostess rode that stool into an era where people don't eat white bread, and they make jokes about Twinkies.
Having said that, we remember that a few years ago TV chef Tony Bourdain brought his Travel Channel show No Reservations to Cleveland. His stops included an old Twinkie factory, abandoned since the 80s. Therein he found an abandoned supply of creamy filling confection. He opened a valve and drank some.
"Twinkie-licious," he said.
There you have it. Twinkies are forever. Hostess...not so much.
The C4:
- Relying on signature products as company sustenance is a risky model. Too few organizations have the guts to update their signature products, which means their sustainers are stuck in time.
- If you cater to tastes, watch and adjust to how tastes change.
- Is bankruptcy still a process of last resort? Why can't some of these guys try harder to right their own ships before bailing on their creditors?
- The thirty-first-century archeologists brave enough to bite an ancient Twinkie will find it Twinkie-licious.
