On being … your signature (fill in the blank)

By Ingrid Sapona 

The other day at the grocery store there was a huge display for Oreos. When I first saw it, I thought it must be for the new snack cake Oreos – Cakesters – that I remembered seeing a commercial for. On second look, however, I saw that it wasn’t for Cakesters, it was for “Selena Gomez Signature Oreos”! 

I found the whole idea of a signature Oreo so strange that I didn’t even stop to see what flavour it might be. (Apparently the center is chocolate and cinnamon.) I get that such products are about branding and marketing, but seeing the display, I couldn’t help wonder how such products actually come about. Do you think the celebrity’s business manager pitches the idea of having their client’s name on a cookie or does the cookie company come to the celeb’s manager and say we’d like to market a flavour in your client’s name? I’m not a huge Selena Gomez fan so I don’t know too much about her. For all I know, maybe she’s often talked about how much she loves Oreos – so maybe it’s totally natural for her to have a signature Oreo flavour. 

The Oreos reminded me of a current Tim Horton’s commercial for “Ryan’s Scrambled Eggs Loaded Breakfast Box”. The Ryan is Ryan Reynolds. The idea of Canadian born Reynolds being featured in a commercial for Tim Horton’s, an iconic Canadian brand, isn’t surprising. But the idea of calling it Ryan’s Breakfast Box (and therefore asking for it when ordering) seems odd to me. I mentioned this to friend and he thought the commercial was in keeping with Reynolds’ sense of humour. In it, Renolds’ personal assistant described the entrée as, “Two freshly cracked eggs expertly scrambled with crispy hash browns, sausage crumble, creamy chipotle sauce cooked over freshly harvested organic lava.” When I heard this, I just thought the “freshly harvested organic lava” part was ridiculous. My friend – more in tune with Reynolds’ comic persona – helped me see that I missed the tongue-in-cheekiness of it. Fair enough… 

Then, of course, there’s Cherry Garcia – the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavour that came out in 1987. Interestingly, it seems the flavour-branding idea was suggested to the company by a woman who was a fan of the Grateful Dead and the ice cream company. She suggested it because she thought it would be a hoot for Dead fans who buy all sorts of Dead paraphernalia. Thirty years after the death of Jerry Garcia and his namesake ice cream is still rocking it for Ben & Jerry’s – though I wonder if non-boomers even realize the connection. 

Twenty years later, Ben & Jerry introduced Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream. Based on what I’ve read, it seems the ice cream maker contacted Colbert’s agent asking whether Colbert would be interested in collaborating on a flavour. (Finally, a definitive answer to the question of whose idea was it!) Since the 2007 launch of the flavour, Colbert has donated all his proceeds from it to The Stephen Colbert AmeriCone Dream Fund, which supports various charities. So, not a purely money-making thing from Colbert’s perspective. 

I don’t know if I’d want a product named after me. Think of the Edsel, for example. The Ford Motor Company named a car – and a division that focused on mid-price range cars – after Henry Ford’s eldest son. Edsels were only around from 1958-1960. Seems the Ford family actually opposed the use of the name, but the company chairman made the decision. What a drag it would be if your (unusual) name ended up becoming synonymous with a flop. 

On the other hand, there’s Veuve Clicquot, which is named for Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who was François Clicquot’s widow (veuve, in French). Madame Clicquot, who was widowed at 27 and took over as the head of the champagne house founded by her father-in-law, revolutionized champagne making. Under the Napoleonic Code, Barbe Nicole Ponsardin was only allowed to run a business because she was widowed. So, to make it clear that she was, she named the company Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin. Two hundred years later Veuve Clicquot is still synonymous with fine champagne. Who wouldn’t want their name associated with something that beloved. 

Since seeing those signature Oreos, I’ve been thinking about whether there’s any product I’d like my name associated with. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud to put my name on my columns and other things I’ve authored, but that’s because it’s my work. As for products, however, I can’t really think of any that I’d get a kick out of seeing my name on. (Though if I thought it would be a marketing hit and the proceeds could go to charity, well, you could probably twist my arm.)   

What about you? Any items you’d endorse or would be happy to sign your name to? 

© 2025 Ingrid Sapona