CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Staff -- TWICE, 2/12/2001
Ol' Lonely, Maytag's iconic repairman, is about to get even lonelier. After 34 years of demonstrating Maytag dependability through his dearth of service calls, the character is being supplanted by an apprentice, actor Mark Devine. The two will share airtime for an undetermined period before the elder Maytag Man, played for the last 11 years by Gordon Jump and originated by Jesse White, hangs up his cap. Maytag based the new campaign on research showing that today's consumers consider dependability a given, rather than a unique selling point. To that end, the new apprentice will embody innovation, the company said.
