Development of the National Brand
In 1962, Archway was sold to bakery employee (and Swanson son-in-law) George Markham, who bought back several of the franchises over the next two years, rolling the production into two corporate cookie-manufacturing plants in Ohio and Iowa.[1] This marked the beginning of the development of Archway Cookies as a cohesive national brand as well as a period of rapid growth for the company.[2]
In 1983, Markham sold Archway Cookies, Incorporated to Thomas F. Olin (vice president of Ohio bakery operations) and Eugene McKay (vice president of corporate office), with Olin taking the position of chairman of the board and McKay named as president.[3] Going forward, one of the primary goals of the parent company (Archway Cookies, Inc.) was to establish a more consistent national brand, in order to meet the merchandising, pricing, and promotional requirements of newly emerging national retail grocery chains. This was achieved in part by gaining tighter control of product and pricing.[4] Cooperative marketing agreements were made with a handful of franchises while others were purchased and rolled into the national corporate structure. These changes enabled Archway to participate in national retail promotions and gain stronger shelf position with emerging super-store grocery operators, such as Walmart and Target.[5][6] In addition, Archway Cookies, Inc. began to implement national marketing positioning strategies with the development of television, radio, and print campaigns such as 'Big Cookie Time', 'The Good Food Cookie', and 'Cookies For Kids' (charity fund-raiser for Children's Miracle Network hospitals).[7]
Another factor in Archway's accelerated sales growth was the popularity of the Archway Holiday Cookie line, which eventually expanded to more than 23 varieties, including Nutty Nougat, Pfeffernüsse, Almond Crescents, Coconut Macaroons, Wedding Cake, and Bells, Trees and Stars. By the late 1980s, Archway had become the largest manufacturer of holiday cookies in the world. Retail stores would often feature promotional Archway 'Cookie House' displays, built with hundreds or thousands of packages of holiday cookies. By the early 1990s, holiday cookies represented more than ten percent of total brand cookie sales.[8][9]
