The winners are in!

Thanks to all who participated in the “Most Memorable” Post Contest! We also want to extend a big thank you to our judges, Bob Collins, Julia Roy and Steve Hall, who all took time out of their very busy schedules to support and judge this contest!

Without further ado, here are the winners:

The Most Memorable Technology Tweet goes to DylanOKNEMYLK:

The Most Memorable Social Media Tweet goes to MaThuRRell:

The Most Memorable Tweet about K-Y Couples Lubricant goes to DylanOKNEMYLK:

The Most Memorable Blog Post goes to Megan Goullet: It’s a Goullet Kind of World

Calories count— even for dogs

By Matt Flight
Schneider Associates

According to a 2006 study, 30 percent of American adults are overweight. And so are most of their dogs. Statistics from a recent veterinary report show that man’s best friend is also tipping the scales a little too far, with 25 percent of all American dogs classified as overweight.

Since Americans and their pets are both battling weight problems, it’s not surprising the diet markets for these two groups are similar. To capture this market of consumers with overindulging dogs, Del Monte Pet Products introduced Pup-Peroni 50 Calorie Packs, the first portion controlled snacks for canines.

Calorie conscious snackers have turned 100 calorie packs into a $200 million annual goldmine. According to a February USA Today article, 82 single serving products touting 100 or fewer calories were released in 2007. In 2004, there were only seven. This trend is snowballing among health conscious Americans, and Del Monte is pioneering the movement in the pet food market.

“They’re a guilt-free snack,” says Matthew Park, Del Monte’s marketing vice president. “Just as 100-calorie packs help people 50-calorie packs help dogs cut calories and live healthier.”

Does this trend have the legs to create a whole new market for calorie conscious dog owners? Are the Pup-Peroni 50 Calorie Snack Pouches memorable enough to become the first ever pet food to crack the top 10 Most Memorable New Product Launch List? Will they soon have Weight Watchers for dogs?

For more information, please contact: mflight@schneiderpr.com
schneiderpr.com
LaunchPR

KFC: A New Flavor to Savor

By Jenny Fichera
Schneider Associates

It’s been over 65 years since Colonel Harland Sanders introduced his Original Recipe® in 1940. This year, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) added Smokey Chipotle Crispy Fried Chicken to its menu. The new flavor, containing a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, is the second new recipe to debut on KFC’s menu since the Colonel’s original creation.

KFC has gone above and beyond to publicize their latest “secret” recipe. According to the Associated Press, the recipe is so top secret that only two company executives have access to it at any time. For added security, the secret recipe was moved to a new location. The ingredients were placed in a lock box and handcuffed to a security guard who rode in an armored car with a police escort.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to develop this new flavor,” said KFC’s chief marketing officer, James O’Reilly. “We don’t take fried chicken flavor introductions lightly at KFC, and we took our time to painstakingly perfect this new recipe.”

KFC launched a TV advertising campaign featuring 15 and 30 second spots that introduce the new Smokey Chipotle Fried Chicken. The commercials’ voiceover describes the new recipe as “flavor with a kick,” and it ends with the slogan, “Life tastes better with KFC.”

KFC has no plans to include an Internet ad campaign, but that’s not to say that they are ignoring the online medium. On their Web site, KFC created a game, “Quest for the Golden Chipotle,” which was created to educate consumers about the origin of the chipotle pepper while still being fun and interactive.

Will the addition of a rare new menu flavor be enough to catapult KFC into the top 10 Most Memorable New Products list?

Gatorade launches Gatorade Tiger amid athlete’s injuries

By Michael Shea

Schneider Associates

It is hard to argue against choosing Tiger Woods as a celebrity endorsement. After all, he is the most dominant athlete in the world and he is loved by millions of people internationally, including the media. Despite his flawless reputation, 2008 might not have been the best year to launch Gatorade Tiger. Why, you ask? Simply put – his health.

This will be the first year when Tiger will miss multiple tournaments due to a knee injury, and this could hurt Gatorade Tiger’s chances to become a very successful new product. Seeing an injured Tiger is something sports fans have yet to see from golf’s version of Superman.

Gatorade Tiger does not have a chance to rebrand, as Tiger is the focal point, including being on the bottle and of course, in the name. Without Tiger appearing in the headlines after dramatic victories over starry-eyed challengers, will Gatorade Tiger achieve mass success. The brand was so close to receiving a huge lift after Tigers courageous win at the U.S. Open, but after his recent surgery, Woods will not have a chance to compete for Golf’s Grand Slam.

When a brand relies completely on the celebrity representing it, any type of issue affecting or surrounding the person can be injurious to the success of the brand. An example of this would be the Martha Stewart scandal. Stewart and her brand were achieving great things, and she was adored by millions, but all of this came crashing down after she was convicted of illegally trading stocks. Stewart has worked extremely hard to rebuild her empire and has not yet achieved her top of the mountain status. Clearly, Gatorade is not in the same situation, but Wood’s lack of media attention might have the same effect of declining sales on the brand.

Despite the injury, Gatorade Tiger launched with one of the most talked about commercials so far in 2008, where Tiger Woods drives a ball through outer space from the moon. Gatorade plans to continue the use of television advertising with the new product. Beginning in late April, visitors to http://www.gatorade.com/ can play virtual golf on the moon and enter an online sweepstakes to win one of two “out of this world” grand prizes.

Most would agree that an injured Tiger is still substantially more marketable than other possibilities, especially in golf. Gatorade will stick by its injured superstarstar rather than exploring the alternatives–Gatorade Mickelson or Gatorade Vijay.

Will Tiger’s injury hinder Gatorade sales? Does Tiger provide Gatorade enough star power for Gatorade Tiger to finish 2008 as one of the top ten Most Memorable New Products?

Bud Light Lime: More Memorable than Miller Chill?

By Michael Shea

Schneider Associates

Last year, Miller Brewing Co introduced Miller Chill, which was not quite a top 10 Most Memorable product for 2007, but will the new Bud Light Lime have what it takes to achieve Most Memorable status in 2008?

Anheuser-Busch Cos. launched the new beverage in May, hoping for a successful summer 2008. Along with Miller Chill, BL Lime will look to compete with Corona, which is one of the more popular summer beers, and the best selling imported beer in the US. Budweiser has not positioned itself as an “outdoor beer” before; BL Lime is an obvious answer to this product void.

The Bud Light Lime Web site says, “Whether you are out in the hot sun, throwing a backyard bash or just in the mood for a change of pace, Bud Light Lime is sure to quench your thirst for something fresh, something new, something different. One sip and you’ll find the summer state of mind. It’s in ‘The Lime.’” This quotation makes it clear what they are trying to do with the new product launch.

To launch the new product, Anheuser-Busch Company did not stray from its traditional advertising schemes, as they promoted the beverage through a $35 million campaign that uses television, print and online media outlets. The Web site, www.budlightlime.com, features videos, ringtone downloads and the catchy slogan, “Summer. Not just a season but a taste.” Despite being a cliché summer tagline, the slogan works, as it directly pinpoints the idea of Bud Light Lime.

After reading several blogs comparing Bud Light Lime and Miller Chill, I came across an interesting poll, which asked readers to choose between BL Lime, Miller Chill, Corona with a lime, or none of them – the results had BL Lime winning at 56% (578 out of the 1030 total votes). The rest of the votes were Corona at 21%, Miller Chill with 13%, and None with 9%. If this poll can turn into sales for Anheuser-Busch, it will be a very special summer for the nation’s leading beer brewing co.

So, will Bud Light Lime be more memorable than Miller Chill? Will Corona maintain its top spot in the summer beer market?