Two Kansas City agency news items in two days, you say? Well, we’ll be damned. Sources familiar with the matter confirm that Kansas City-based Bernstein-Rein, which recently brought on former Barkley CEO Brian Brooker as its chief creative officer, has gotten cozier with longtime client, Hostess Brands. B-R has already served as AOR for Hostess Brands sweets and snacks including Hostess cupcakes, Drake and Dolly Madison since 2005. Now, we’ve been told that the agency has also nabbed Hostess’s bread business including Wonder Bread, Nature’s Pride, Merrita, Butternut, Holsum and more.
Just like its work for its Hostess sweets roster, Bernstein-Rein will be handling, strategy, creative, etc. for Wonder and its ilk. Last year, the agency became media buying AOR for all brands under the Hostess banner.