Why A Popcorn Icon Paid An Advertising Company $13,000 To Name His Company After Him

Orville Redenbacher paid a huge sum to professional marketers to rename his company, and they settled on a surprisingly simple option

Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. The kindly (now deceased) older man with the signature bow tie’s buttery snack food has long been established as a widespread favorite for many. Although the eponymously named company seems like an obvious form of advertising, it actually used to be known as something else and its founder surprisingly paid a public relations firm $13,000 to rebrand it under its current simple name.

As an Indiana farm boy, Redenbacher grew up selling popcorn from his family’s farm out of the back of their car. This gave him his first exposure to working with the crunchy snack After going to college, he began a career in agriculture and business.

In 1951, Redenbacher and his business partner, Charlie Bowman, purchased the George F. Chester and Son seed corn plant in Boone Township, Indiana. Despite Redenbacher’s background in agronomy and plant genetics, his past connections with the Chester family and his love of popcorn led him to explore this new venture.

Eventually Carl Hartman was brought on board to help them take their popcorn business to new heights. In particular, he was enlisted to conduct experiments. In 1969, they finally developed a corn seed that filled them with confidence of the quality of popcorn they could regularly bring to market as their own. Ready to take their creation to a wider audience, they named the product Red-Bow as a way to recognize the co-owners of the enterprise.

While Red-Bow initially gained regional popularity, by 1970, Redenbacher and Bowman were eager to reach a national audience. Seeking professional advice on how to bring their business to the next level, they hired a Chicago advertising agency to guide them on a branding strategy. In their initial meeting, Redenbacher passionately discussed popcorn for three hours, giving the marketers all the information they needed to work up a rebranding.

Prompted to return the following week to review the agency’s proposal they had whipped up, Redenbacher was taken aback when they suggested that the name of the company be changed to Orville Redenbacher’s. Believing that his wholesome image and passionate love of his product would resonate with consumers, the strategy was suggested in the vein of sometimes the best answer is the easiest one.

Skeptical of the name’s simplicity, Redenbacher initially resisted, expressing his concern about his funny-sounding surname. He was also not a huge fan of the $13,000 bill he received for the work when he felt all he was getting was a suggestion to put the company in his own name. However, the agency’s suggestion was eventually accepted, and Orville Redenbacher’s became the enduring brand we know today.

Despite initial reservations about the large fee charged by the agency for their ingenuity, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn brand skyrocketed to fame. The quirky name, distinctive front man and quality of the product all contributed to its success. Even more remarkably, Redenbacher himself became the brand’s iconic spokesman for over two decades, continuing his role long after his passing in print and television advertisements.

In hindsight, Redenbacher later publicly humorously questioned the agency’s fee, poking fun at the fact that he had essentially paid for someone to suggest the same name his mother had given him at birth. Little did he know that this investment would turn into a popcorn legacy embraced by snackers around the world. As recently as 2020, the company boasted annual sales in excess of $154 million.

Sometimes the answers you seek are right in front of your nose. Although he paid an expensive price, a knowledgeable ad agency was able to set Redenbacher on the right path in breathing new life into his popcorn business, even if he had the solution all along, but just didn’t realize it.