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Posts from the ‘New Product’ category

SONIC HOPES ITS NEW SLUSHY IS A REALLY BIG DILL

on June 11, 2018

Pickle lovers will…maybe rejoice at Sonic Drive-In’s latest addition to its lineup of “refreshing” summer drinks. The name of its latest product (drumroll, please): the Pickle Juice Slush.

sonic slushies

The bright green slush, which Sonic describes as “sweet yet tart,” debuts Monday alongside more conventional Snow Cone Slush flavors like Blue Hawaiian, Bahama Mama and Tiger’s Blood.

Reactions to the drink have been mixed. Here, some on Twitter who are unlikely to try it:

The Pickle Juice Slush is a new—albeit wacky—take on the recent fermented food trend: think kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut and Greek yogurt. Fermented foods, which are created by bacteria, yeast or other microorganisms breaking down a substance, are known for their tangy flavor and health benefits. A study published in a 2016 issue of the “Preventive Nutrition and Food Science” journal found that fermented foods have an especially positive effect on cognitive function, along with previously known digestive benefits.

Read more at Ad Age: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/dill/313835/

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Dr Pepper Snapple Group Rewrites History to Promote Its New Straight Up Tea

on June 4, 2018

Dr Pepper Snapple Group is starting to spread the word about its new brand, Straight Up Tea, and, while doing so, is spreading some wild rumors about what sparked the Boston Tea Party.

In its first national campaign from the Richards Group, the tea brand (which claims to be made from only all-natural ingredients), takes viewers back to Dec. 16, 1773, where they find themselves on a ship in the Boston Harbor preparing to toss some chests of tea into the sea alongside the Sons of Liberty.

But this time, the protesters could care less about taxation without representation—all they care about is ridding Boston of tea made with artificial ingredients. And they’ll risk death to do it.

One can probably guess which tea brand (naturally) gets spared in the 15-second TV ad below.

Read more at AdWeek: https://www.adweek.com/agencies/dr-pepper-snapple-group-rewrites-history-to-promote-its-new-straight-up-tea/

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Allbirds Created a Shake Shack Shoe for New York’s Biggest Burger Fans

on May 21, 2018

Ground yourself Shake Shack-lovers: the food chain is releasing a limited edition collaboration with Allbirds, a footwear company.

allbirds shake shack

On May 24, Allbirds will sell the Shake Shack Tree Runner shoe at the original Shake Shack stand in New York’s Madison Square Park. The sneakers come in the company’s most well-known design, but with a mostly white base and green trimming and laces (as a nod to Shake Shack’s branding), and will cost $100. It comes with an exclusive three-pack lace kit and a special shake, called the Hokey Pokey.

The collection is the second one to promote the Tree Runner, a shoe released by Allbirds in March. Unlike its original shoes, which were made out of merino wool, the Tree Runner is made from eucalyptus fiber, as part of the company’s mission to work with sustainable materials. The shoes laces are also made out of recycled plastic bottles.

This is the latest brand collaboration for Allbirds, which worked with Nordstromin March to release five exclusive colors of the Tree Runner in nine different locations (as well as selling them online). Allbirds previously worked with fitness-wear company, Outdoor Voices, on a collection that included two exclusive colors and a tote in November 2017, and a few months earlier in July, Allbirds released its Wool Loungers in three different colors, each representing a different downtown Los Angeles company.

Allbirds is part of the most recent wave of, as IAB’s CEO Randall Rothenberg calls, ‘direct brands.’ Instead of selling the sneakers at third-party stores (like Footlocker) or online marketplaces (like Amazon), Allbirds sells directly through its own site or its own brick and mortar. The implication: it can control the first-party data that typically went to the retailer. It’s a new game.

Read more at AdWeek: http://www.adweek.com/digital/allbirds-created-a-shake-shack-shoe-for-new-yorks-biggest-burger-fans/

Pepsi Cans Attempt to Reclaim Pop Culture Glory

on May 11, 2018

Pepsi is putting images of two dead music icons on its cans this summer, reaching back once again to its pop culture glory days in an effort to boost sagging sales. Michael Jackson and Ray Charles will front limited-edition packaging along with Britney Spears, who isn’t exactly in her prime (although to be fair, her recently concluded four-year Las Vegas residency concert was considered a major hit).

Pepsi celebs

The cans continue the retro-heavy “Pepsi Generations” campaign that Pepsi kicked off earlier this year with a Super Bowl ad that included quick glimpses of classic Pepsi ads starring Spears and Jackson. A follow-up ad for Diet Pepsi included shots of Charles that harkened back to a 1990s-era spot when he sang “You got the right one baby” for the brand.

But putting the singers on cans ups the ante, while raising questions about much resonance the one-time mega stars have with younger consumers today.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh, they must be going for the older folks’—because the younger kids are drinking a lot less soda these days,” says Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist and professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco who studies millennial consumers.

But on the plus-side for Pepsi, “young people today kind of like the retro-chic stuff. Michael is iconic, Ray is iconic. And I guess by rubbing shoulders with them Pepsi becomes a little bit more iconic,” she adds. “It is calling out some of [Pepsi’s] shining moments, I suppose, and elevating the stature of the brand though association. But I don’t think that’s going to be enough.”

Read more at Ad Age: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/michael-jackson-ray-charles-britney-spears-pepsi-cans/313463/

Bud Light aims for millennials, females with new fruit-flavored brews

on April 11, 2018

  • Bud Light debuted a new beer on Monday: Bud Light Orange.
  • The beer giant hopes to win over women with fruity, flavored beers, according to executives.
  • Bud Light sales fell 5.7% by volume in 2017 — the brand’s biggest drop in history.
  • Female drinkers are increasingly crucial to beer sales as beer falls out of fashion in favor of wine and spirits.

Bud Light is doubling down on flavored beer while seeking to win over female drinkers.

Bud Light Orange

On Monday, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced the national debut of Bud Light Orange, a citrusy lager made with orange peels. The company also announced the return of a “refreshed” Bud Light Lime for the summer.

“Our millennial consumers are eager to try new, flavored options in the light lager category. We wanted to create something new to engage with these consumers and bring them into the Bud Light family,” Andy Goeler, Bud Light’s vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

“Flavored beer has seen steady growth with consumers continually looking for higher quality beverages made with real, natural flavors,” the statement continued.

Bud Light could use the sales boost. In 2017, the brand suffered its biggest annual volume decline ever, dropping 5.7%, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

While younger drinkers have gravitated toward flavored beers (and away from beer in general, in favor of wine and spirits), the company additionally hopes to win over another group with Bud Light Orange: women.

Read more at Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/bud-light-orange-aims-to-win-over-women-2018-4