Finagle ads support supermarket bagel launch

SJB Bagel Makers of Boston, the new name of the parent company of the local Finagle a Bagel chain, said it has launched an ad campaign to promote the introduction of its frozen bagel line to supermarket chains.

The campaign is made up of a series of TV ads that will air in the Boston area, and the ads introduce viewers to a cast of bagel bakers – Mikey, Ross, Luke, Murph, and Charly – who work at the bagel chain's Newton headquarters, the company said in a press release.

"The commercials play like a sitcom, introducing the characters and developing their personalities over the course of the series," the press release said. In an ad titled "Savant," for example, the baker named Ross "demonstrates his incredible talent for identifying bagels and their imperfections." One tag-line: "Finagle knows bagels."

The release included a statement from SJB Bagel Makers of Boston president Laura Trust.

"These five characters let the viewer in on the labor of love that goes into making each and every Finagle handmade boiled and baked bagel," Trust said.

One spot includes language that "may not be appropriate for younger viewers," the company said. For the moment, that ad will be available for viewing only on the Finagle website, the company said.

In any case, other ads in the campaign are airing on TV as the company is in the process of rolling out a line of line of frozen Finagle a Bagel bagels to grocery stores in New England and in such states as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Delaware.

The ads are currently airing on WCVB-TV (Ellen and Oprah); WFXT-TV (Dr. Oz and Morning News); WHDH-TV (Today and LIVE with Regis & Kelly), among others, the company said. (Globe Staff)