Thousands of new products are launched every year. While some products fail, others prove to be memorable launches. Domenick Celentano, author of the food and beverage guide for About.com and The Foodpreneur blog, offers his picks * for the most memorable new product launches of the year (product choices by Celentano, summaries compiled by the MMNPL staff).
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Sandwich Bread
This past year, Pepperidge Farm introduced the bread that smiles back. Available in three varieties, this bread does not contain high fructose corn syrup and boasts 3 grams of fiber per serving for only 120 calories. The bread is completely crust-free, ensuring that the pickiest eaters will have no reason to dislike it. This product created a lot of buzz through word of mouth marketing.
Kids loved the fun shape of the bread while busy mothers loved that their kids were eating healthy.
Frito Lay All Natural Chips
Frito Lay introduced more than six dozen products made with all natural ingredients. The transition from processed to wholesome snack options is a result of rising health-consciousness among consumers. Promoting the “real ingredients” made by “real people” were key messages in this successful launch. Instead of using paid actors in their commercials, Frito Lay made a smart decision to use their employees, allowing consumers to get to know the real people behind the brand.
Triple Double Oreo
Oreo has literally taken this iconic brand to the next level. With the introduction of the Triple Double Oreo, fans of the original cookie can now indulge in the new product, which includes one layer of original crème stuffing and one layer of chocolate stuffing sandwiched between three cookie wafers. Oreo was smart to cash in on two important food trends– flavor layering and affordable indulgence. Consumers created a buzz online months before the Triple Double Oreo was released, proving once again that word of mouth is a powerful boost to marketing programs and sales.
Bertolli® Premium Meal Soups for Two
Bertolli is bringing restaurant-style food home to you. In partnership with Fabio Viviani, acclaimed Italian chef, restaurant owner and Top Chef contestant, Bertolli has released a line of soups based on Italian restaurant cooking. Bertolli Premium Meal Soups for Two are available in four different varieties. The traditional, hearty Italian soups are used for the main course rather than a side dish or appetizer. Bertolli also positioned this new soup meal as a healthy, affordable option for dinner during the recession.
Amazon Kindle Fire
Since the announcement from Amazon in September, consumers have been waiting for the release of this new tablet. The Amazon Kindle Fire allows users to watch movies and TV shows, purchase apps, play games, and surf the internet, all while still reading the eBooks they love on their Kindle. The color touch screen, features and lower price point are why the Kindle Fire is a new and potentially fierce competitor to the iPad and other tablets.
Ben & Jerry’s Introduces ‘Schweddy Balls’ Ice Cream
Fans of the popular late-night TV show Saturday Night Live are giddy over Ben and Jerry’s new limited time flavor, “Schweddy Balls.”
In celebration of the 37th season of SNL, Ben and Jerry’s decided to create an ice cream flavor after one of the famous SNL skits starring Alec Baldwin. The flavor consists of “vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and is loaded with fudge covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls.” The release of this ice cream flavor in September created quite the buzz through both word of mouth and the media. This ice cream was talked by main stream media for about a week shortly after it was released, and then again in October when parent groups called for it to be removed from store shelves. Schweddy Balls may not be on the market for long, but many people are sure to remember the launch of this delicious product, specifically because of the controversy that surrounded it.
McDonalds Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
McDonald’s Frozen Strawberry Lemonade – the perfect drink for summertime. Released in May, the drink is made by blending together a lemonade base, strawberry syrup on the bottom, and ice. Sales were strong and proved that McCafe, isn’t just for coffee and smoothies anymore. Backed by a huge integrated marketing campaign, no wonder this cool drink should be considered for the most memorable product launch.
*Not all products chosen by the MMNPL expert panelists are guaranteed to be included in the MMNPL survey due to our rigorous criteria for selecting new products.
