Eggo brand takes first bite at bakery products

By Joan Holleran
Mintel Reports

Historically, stand-alone bakeries have felt the biggest threat from in-store bakeries, which have proven dynamic in launching artisanal breads, specialty desserts and the like. In-store bakeries have also competed with the bread aisle for consumer attention, more for affordability and shear volume. While those three entities weren’t looking, the freezer case has entered the fray with some modest copycat innovation: Frozen muffin tops under Kellogg’s Eggo brand.

Eggo Bake Shop’s Mini Muffin Tops, in Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, and Swirls Strawberry varieties, are a clever move that addresses the simple desire of many consumers to eat the “choice” part of the baked good, but in a manner more akin to the bread aisle. Consumers can purchase a box of 32 mini muffin tops and, because they are frozen, not worry about spoilage.

Fortunately for Kellogg, muffins and muffin tops are also enjoyed throughout the day, extending the Kellogg brand beyond the breakfast daypart, which is a great strategy for long-term growth. Even the Eggo Bake Shop moniker opens the brand up to more offerings, such as scones or sweat breads.

Unless there’s a huge campaign behind Muffin Tops, initial consumers will be those who already enjoy Eggo waffles or pancakes; perhaps a cross promotion, or free sample inside existing Eggo products would create a lot of buzz for the muffin tops. Kellogg could do well to position in-store promotions in the bread aisle or in-store bakery area to lure consumers to the freezer case for Mini Muffin Tops.

For more information, please contact:
Joan Holleran
jholleran@mintel.com
312/450-6248

Fasprin will likely dissolve

By Joan Holleran

Mintel Reports

“Rapid release” has nothing on Improvita Health Products Inc.’s new Fasprin tongue-dissolving aspirin. The Cleveland-based company takes quick pain relief to new levels by not only marketing the product to consumers who take low doses of aspirin daily to prevent heart health ailments, but it also selling a women’s health version that’s fortified with vitamins and antioxidants. Now that’s meeting a mouthful of market needs right there.

Aspirin, a common analgesic and anti-inflammatory, has been recommended by respected health associations to be taken in low dosages in order to prevent certain heart problems in some consumers, as it is known to have a blood thinning effect. According to Improvita, Fasprin is designed “for the millions of Americans who maintain a daily aspirin routine and worry about gastrointestinal bleeding or swallowing pills.” Women actually account for 51 percent of deaths from heart disease, so the company took the Fasprin idea a step further and added the Women’s Heart Health “CardioFast” tablets that provide further nutritional benefits.

Fasprin Low Dose Aspirin (81 mg) is available in a pack of 30 in Citrus Burst flavor with a suggested retail price of $5.99.The Women’s Heart Health version, which also dissolves in the mouth not the stomach, is available in a special Dual Pack with 60 tablets. The pack includes 30 low dose Faspirin tablets and 30 cherry-flavored CardioFast tablets that help maintain blood pressure, circulation, and cholesterol levels. CardioFast is comprised of K2, to help promote bone density, reduce plaque and cholesterol deposits; CoQ10 antioxidant to prevent oxidation of LDL; Resveratrol red wine grape skin extract; Alpha Lipoic Acid, an antioxidant that promotes heart health; and a vitamin blend consisting of D3, folic acid and B complex. The suggested retail price is $9.99. Fasprin’s patented, no-swallow aspirin delivery method reduces irritation to the gastrointestinal tract by quickly dissolving in the mouth, which allows the aspirin to enter the blood stream in just three to five minutes, or up to ten times faster than conventional aspirin that typically is absorbed through the stomach. Beyond issues swallowing, Fasprin doesn’t need to be washed down with water, adding to the on-the-go convenience of the product.

Fasprin is a product I’ve anticipated for some time, but not in the deliverable form I expected. I was looking to quick dissolve strips, a la Listerine breath strips, to deliver pain relief. The closest product I’m aware of is Sudafed Quick-Dissolve Strips for allergy symptoms including congestion.

Marketing efforts for Fasprin included couponing through the company’s website, www.fasprin.com. But that’s about it. Heart health aside, there are millions of consumers who simply don’t like to swallow pills. Fasprin could be the ultimate product… but with the nearly nonexistent marketing effort I was able to find, I doubt the market at large is ever going to know it exists.

Of the 237 pain relieving products Mintel’s GNPD has posted from the past year, several promote “fast relief” – one headache solution is rubbed directly on the forehead. Some are chewable, many are balms… but none are dissolving. It’s a point of difference, and one that should be marketed as such.

For more information, please contact:

jholleran@Mintel.com

www.mintel.com

(312) 932-0400