MMNPL checks out iTouchless at NHS 2012

MMNPL’s Ashley DePaolo learns all about iTouchless’ line of touch-free toilet seats, trash cans and other products at the 2012 National Hardware Show.

Keep checking back here for more interviews and videos from NHS 2012.

Food Expert Dom Celentano Reports on the Most Memorable New Product Launch 2011 Webinar

For the second year in a row, About.com Food and Beverage expert Domenick Celentano covered the MMNPL survey webinar and gave his thoughts on some food product launches in his recap. Celentano discussed the concept of co-creation for new products in the early stages of development through social media, and the importance of word-of-mouth, noting “New product launches in food will never be the same.”

In Dom’s full review of the Webinar, he provided additional highlights about some of the most memorable food launches of 2011 such as Reese’s Minis, Philadelphia Cooking Crème, Baileys Coffee Creamer and DiGiorno Pizza and Cookies. Dom also discusses noteworthy statistics from the survey pointing to the changing landscape in food product development and launch, such as the huge increase in the use of Facebook as a source of information on new products.

Make sure to read the recap  as well as Celentano’s full review  of the MMNPL New Product Launch 2011 survey!

MMNPL Stats on Consumer Commercial Enjoyment Featured in USA Today Snapshot

USA Today featured data from Schneider Associates‘ and Sentient Decision Science‘s 2011 Most Memorable New Product Launch survey in a snapshot on the front page of the Life section on January 24th. The data showed that television viewers enjoy commercials more than online viewers, but also that the majority of consumers polled enjoy watching commercials at least sometimes.

MMNPL 2011 Survey Featured in a USA Today Snapshot

A snapshot of the 2011 MMNPL survey results was featured in the January 18 edition of USA Today. The USA Today Snapshot, titled “Most Memorable Product Launches of 2011,” displays the top product launches of last year. The survey conducted by research partner Sentient Decision Science polled a national sampling of consumers who named the Kinect for Xbox 360 as the most memorable product launch of 2011, with Nintendo 3DS and the Chevy Volt (tied), and Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries rounding out the top three spots.

To read more about the 2011 MMNPL survey, Click Here.

MMNPL Product Preview: Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries with Sea Salt

Wendy’s made headlines this year when they launched their first fry redesign in the company’s 41-year history. Check out our video to see why Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries with Sea Salt launch campaign just might be spudtacular enough to be one of 2011′s Most Memorable New Product Launches.

Pop Up Good, Clean Fun With Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl

A product launch that we’re watching: Orville Redenbacher’s New Microwave Popcorn Pop Up Bowl. By using innovative marketing strategies and creating a solution to a common snack-time problem, this product is a possible entry for this year’s Most Memorable New Product Launch.

Microwave popcorn lovers everywhere are familiar with the icky buttery hands that result from reaching into the bottom of a microwave popcorn bag. Orville Redenbacher has launched an innovative packaging solution to produce a clean and enjoyable popcorn eating experience: the Pop Up Bowl, now available at Walmart. “This is the biggest thing to happen to popcorn in 25 years,” says Jesse Spungin, general manager at Orville Redenbacher. The new packaging, available in Ultimate Butter, Smart Pop, Movie Theater Butter and Butter, makes sharing a popcorn bag easy without the hassle of rinsing out a bowl when you’re done. So what’s all the buzz about? The bag transforms into a bowl while in the microwave, so the only clean up required is tossing the empty bowl. In a society that relies on convenience and efficiency, a clean, fun and user-friendly package is the perfect improvement to everyone’s favorite snack.

The new packaging was launched towards the beginning of Orville Redenbacher’s Pop & Win Instant Win Game. Specially marked boxes of popcorn contain popcorn bags with heat activated game messages that announce whether or not the bag is a winner. Winning bags contain a code to be entered online to redeem prizes that range from HDTVs and Wii consoles to games and digital cameras to grand prizes like a $10,000 Game Room Bundle or a $10,000 Home Theater Makeover.

Before the Pop Up Bowl launch in February, bloggers and Blissdom 2011 social media conference attendees were sent samples of the product to generate internet buzz. A large portion of the reviewers are moms who shared the popcorn bowl with their families. The FoodYouLove Youtube channel features a video demonstrating the convenience of the Pop Up Bowl as opposed to traditional bags of popcorn. A SmartSource $1 off printable coupon is circulating online, and The Orville Redenbacher Facebook page is also marketing the new product, emphasizing the easy cleanup and share-ability of the packaging. 

So far, reviewers are raving about the Pop Up Bowl. It has already been featured on The View’s blog as one of this year’s hottest food trends. With a no mess, easy to use package and faster preparation time, it’s a wonder this hasn’t been thought of before. The Pop Up Bowl is sure to be a revolutionary product that pushes the snack food industry to reconsider packaging as vital to product differentiation. Environmentalists will approve of the waste saved from using napkins. Clean, convenient, easy to eat – what’s not to love?

Launch Basics: What You Need to Do Every Time

“While the strategies and tactics used for each new product launch vary according to the nature of the product, the target audience, trends in the media, retail distribution and consumer lifestyles, certain bedrock principles are required for planning and executing every new product launch. Following these launch basics will put you on the path toward success.  Ignoring them will put your launch in peril, no matter how exciting or innovative your new product or service may be.

Tip 1: Assign someone who is strategic and creative to lead the launch team.

“Brand or product managers make the best launch team leaders. These are people who are passionate about the product and have a single-minded focus to make it successful.  Unlike people higher up in the corporate food chain, brand or product managers are focused on the task at hand. Good brand and product managers live the product every day and know how to get things done.  They also are more apt to have the requisite marketing expertise required to lead a launch, something CEOs and presidents often lack. If you’re a company leader and you think that you should lead the launch team, think again. There is too much riding on the outcome not to put someone in charge who can live, eat and breathe the launch.

“Our only caveat is to involve the CEO along the way in planning, as there is nothing worse than presenting a finalized launch plan the CEO doesn’t like and won’t support because he or she was not part of the process. In our experience, involving the CEO in key planning meetings creates the alignment necessary to ensure the launch plan is enthusiastically received. Also, avoid putting someone in charge of the launch team who is driven solely by sales figures. Launch is an art and a science. Numbers alone don’t always tell the whole story about what is happening during a launch. Someone interested only in sales figures may be apt to pull the plug too early on a launch if sales targets aren’t being met. You have to be able to look behind the sales numbers to really know what’s going on.

Look for a launch team leader who is skilled at:

• Bringing people together from various marketing disciplines to produce an integrated campaign.
• Communicating and reinforcing launch strategies and product messages so team members are consistent throughout the planning and implementation process.
• Fostering innovation in launch strategies and tactics.
• Generating enthusiasm, confidence and a can-do team spirit that will be required at critical moments.”

Read the other basic launch tips in chapter 3 of The NEW Launch Plan: 152 Tips, Tactics and Trends from the Most Memorable New Products. If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR

Get ready for 2010 by reviewing what worked for the most memorable new product launches in 2009!

Patrick Richardson, Integrated Marketing Director at Schneider Associates counts down the most memorable new product launches of 2009.

Two Sides to Every… Shower?

 

By Ryan Stredney

P.R Specialist – Data & Insights

 

Information Resources, Inc.

 

We’ve all seen the soap industry evolve and flourish over time… from the messy bars of old, leaving their residue all over bathtub ledges between uses to today’s convenient body washes in their snap top tubes and ever-expanding variety of aromas.  But what about the means for applying these modern shower gels to one’s body?  Wash cloths just aren’t cutting it anymore for guys and girls alike… too long to lather up and you’re left with a skimpy wash surface that just doesn’t have enough exfoliating power to refresh anyone’s skin from the rugged grime of the daily grind.

 

As alternatives were developed to appeal to the fairer gender, they weren’t really doing all that much to sell themselves to men in the marketplace.  We’re talking about the loofahs, sponges and poofs you find hanging on the ladies’ side of the shower, detailed with feminine designs, colors and floral scents… truly made for the smoother, gentler, more luxurious skin that women possess.  Granted they’re a step in the right direction, providing a textured surface for a deeper scrub and more lather generating layers to give everybody’s body a once over, but the modern man is always on the lookout for something stronger and stacked with more machismo.

 

Now AXE has taken that concept even further and come out with a solution developed specifically for guys… The new AXE Detailer Shower Tool.  A deep scrub side to clean your rough and tough spots, forced to hybrid with a gentle mesh side to clean even your most sensitive areas.  Fused all together with circular, rubber grips that conjure up the image of auto rims, the dual-sided shower tool is ideal for a man’s needs and designed to encourage an overall more efficient shower experience.

 

The gear-head-esque name is certainly more appealing to men right off the bat, but the Detailer lives up to its billing as well.  The rubber grip gives guys something substantial to hold onto, the traditional mesh area provides plenty of lathering potential, and the red scouring pad opposite is good for thick skin like heels, knees, palms and elbows. Backed by a strong television marketing campaign promoting attractive masculinity and rugged Americana, AXE is constantly looking for new ways to score points and grab market share in the hygiene industry, and with the first scrubber designed specifically with men in mind, they may just have a winner with the new Detailer Shower Tool.

 

Additional Information can be found at: http://www.theaxeeffect.com/flash.html

 

Contact: ryan.stredney@infores.com

Snickers breaks into the “energy market”

This Halloween, Snickers could give “sugar buzz” a whole new meaning. If parents don’t pay attention, their kids may get more buzz than they bargained for, as the newest trend in candy is the addition of caffeine and vitamins to the ingredient list. This year, Mars brand Snickers launched their new Limited Edition Snickers Charged, with 60 milligrams of caffeine, taurine and other B vitamins. Other candies boast ingredients such as electrolytes and ginseng. While reaction to taste is mixed, recently there has been a surge of critical attention given to the marketing of the amped candy.

A timely Wall Street Journal article notes the many challenges faced by candy marketers, including concern for diabetes and obesity among children. Overall, sales of sugar confectionary dropped by 4% from over the past five years, while sales of energy drinks rose more than 400%, according to the article.

To stay competitive, the candy market has mimicked not only the ingredient lists of popular energy drinks, but the edgy promotions as well. For some critics, names and packaging are too suggestive of illicit drugs (a candy called “Crackheads”?), and many feel that caffeine is unsuitable for children, the primary market for candy companies.

Will Snickers pave the way for a whole new market of caffeinated candy bars? Does this candy bar controversy have enough legs to earn Snickers Charged a spot as one of the Most Memorable New Products of 2008?