Ad Agency Campbell Mithun to Hire Interns Via “Dear New Twinkies Owners…” Application

Internship applicants to generate Twinkies ideas as Hostess Brands Inc auctions off the brand

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Minneapolis ad agency Campbell Mithun (NYSE: IPG) will hire its summer Lucky 13 interns via an online application soliciting brand-engagement ideas for taking the iconic Twinkies brand into the future. Applicants must submit an idea and “Dear new owners of Twinkies” statement; Twinkies is scheduled to be auctioned due to bankruptcy to a new owner on March 13.

“So many factors aligned to bring Twinkies into our application process”

Twinkies and Campbell Mithun go way back: Campbell Mithun originated the “Where’s the cream filling?” tagline when Twinkies was a client nearly 20 years ago. The “Dear new Twinkies owners…” application occurs during Campbell Mithun’s 80^th anniversary year (and Twinkies were born in the ‘30s too).

Twinkies’ parent company, Hostess Brands Inc., recently declared bankruptcy and received approval from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain to auction off assets including the Twinkies brand. (Flowers Foods announced yesterday that it was declared highest bidder for Wonder and other bread brands.) The Twinkies auction is scheduled for March 13; bids will likely be approved at a March 19^th sale hearing. Updates are posted at www.hostessbrands.info

“So many factors aligned to bring Twinkies into our application process,” said Debbie Fischer, director of human resources at Campbell Mithun, which used a Twitter-based application for hiring interns the past two years. “We wanted our process to go beyond Twitter, this marketing case study is unfolding in real time, and the new Twinkies owner will likely be named at a March 13^th auction – we take the number 13 very seriously around here.”

Campbell Mithun will share publicly the Twinkies recommendations submitted by the thirteen finalists selected to interview for the final 2013 Lucky 13 internship positions.

Details about the application can be found at www.lucky13internship.com and via #L13 on Twitter.

The application process

The Lucky 13 Internship application process opens March 1 on www.lucky13internship.com. Applicants must be a college student with a graduation date between fall 2012 and summer 2014. Deadline is 11:59 pm (CDT) on March 29.

In 2013, interns will be hired in the following discipline areas – account leadership, media strategy and media negotiations. Creative interns will be provided via the agency’s partnership with Miami Ad School, which selects students to place on site at Campbell Mithun quarterly.

To apply, applicants submit the following via online application:

• URL address for their Twinkies recommendation (presented via blog, YouTube, SlideShare, etc. – wherever it lives on the Internet)
• A “Dear new owners of Twinkies” statement
• A “Dear Campbell Mithun, hire me because…” note
• Resume

Finalists will be invited to the agency for in-person interviews or interviewed via Skype (for out-of-market applicants), and intern selections will be announced in April 2013 – Campbell Mithun’s 80^th anniversary.

About Campbell Mithun’s Lucky 13 Internship

Some believe that 13 is an unlucky number. But as Ray Mithun, co-founder of Campbell Mithun once said, “If thirteen is unlucky for some people, it must be lucky for someone else.” The Lucky 13 internship program seeks those individuals who can be someone else -- those who have the courage to go against the grain and to believe in original ideas and creative solutions. The interns do real work for real clients, alongside real professionals, earning a real chance to start their careers as full-time members of the advertising community.

About Campbell Mithun (NYSE: IPG)

Since its founding in 1933, Campbell Mithun has established a national brand-building reputation in the consumer packaged goods, retail, healthcare, financial services and telecommunications sectors and serves clients including General Mills, Land O’Lakes, SuperValu, Chipotle, Great Clips, Schwan’s, Popeyes and Toro. Its Compass Point Media unit, established in 1976, makes connections in all the right places with strategists and negotiators who maximize media impact and minimize costs for both media-only and shared Campbell Mithun clients.

Campbell Mithun has created client marketplace success for 80 years guided by Ray Mithun’s founding philosophy: create client success by making Everything Talk at each point of customer contact.

Websites: www.cmithun.com; www.compasspoint-media.com; www.lucky13internship.com