MATADOR Beef Jerky Conducts “Stick It” Campaign
MATADOR Beef Jerky continues to grow its presence in the snack aisle with its fun and edgy “Stick It” retail campaign. Since its inception, consumers have proclaimed that the brand absolutely “nailed it” with the bold flavor, snappy texture and spicy taste of its MATADOR snack sticks.
MATADOR Beef Jerky is a bold snack brand for teens with an action-driven lifestyle. Backed by a tremendous early response to MATADOR, Jack Link’s and Frito-Lay have formed an exclusive distribution partnership on the MATADOR line of snacks.
Mark Catlin, Director of Marketing, MATADOR Beef Jerky, said, “In less than two short years, MATADOR has already earned its place as one of the top national meat snack brands.”
Nana’s Cookie Displays Curious George Packaging
Nana’s Cookie Co., bakers of individually wrapped gluten free cookies, has partnered with Universal Partnerships & Licensing to feature the Curious George character on packaging, point-of-purchase displays and in-store signage.
Consumers have the opportunity to receive a free “Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!” DVD or a Curious George Matching Game from I Can Do That! Games, with the purchase of specially marked Nana’s Cookie Bars. To receive a free “Curious George” DVD, consumers must purchase six boxes of Nana’s Cookie Company Cookie Bars, and send the UPC codes to the address listed on the box. To receive a free Curious George Matching Game, three UPC codes are required.
These specially marked Nana’s will be available at food stores across the country, including Ralphs, Whole Foods, and Henry’s.
Clif Bar Launches Sports Specialty Retail Display Rack
Clif Bar & Company, Emeryville, CA, has introduced this sports specialty retail display rack, which is designed to carry the athlete’s assortment of Clif Bars and Clif Shots including Clif Bar, Builder’s, Mojo and the Clif Shot portfolio. The durable metal construction will merchandise Clif Bar & Company products season after season. Optional side baskets are available for additional display capacity. The header is printed on New Leaf paper, 100% recycled, 50% post-consumer content, processed chlorine free with vegetable based inks.
Artisanal Brands Displays New CheeseClock
Artisanal Brands has retained the services of BPI Brand Marketing Solutions to assist the expansion of the Artisanal Cheese brand into major retailers across the USA. Artisanal is offering CheeseClock by Artisanal™, an in-store merchandising system that provides easy to understand guidance on the selection of cheese for any occasion. All Artisanal cheeses are packaged in one of four different colored boxes that provide wine and beer pairing suggestions with each color categorizing a cheese as Mild, Medium, Bold or Strong. Additionally the merchandising system includes information about the cheese itself as well as in-home serving techniques and provides Artisanal branded display tags that carry the branding through to the cheese plate they are served on.
Huntington Opens First Branches In Giant Eagle
Huntington has opened the first of its Giant Eagle in-store bank branches, part of an exclusive, 15-year agreement to install seven-day-a-week, full-service branches in at least 103 Giant Eagle supermarkets. “This is a true partnership between two companies that share a strong, long-held commitment to customer service, convenience, and the communities in which we do business,” said Mary Navarro, retail and business banking director. “The new in-store distribution channel is an important part of Huntington's strategy to give customers added convenience.”
Ohio’s First Market District Store Opens
Inspired by the open-air markets of Europe and a true passion for food, Giant Eagle®, has opened its Kingsdale Market District food store, the 132,000 sq. ft. culinary, dining and shopping destination, in Columbus, Ohio. Market District appeals to food enthusiasts who enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of fresh, new and exciting foods. The Kingsdale Market District, the fourth for the multi format food retailer and first in Ohio, delivers a food utopia to central Ohio residents with a mix of the best in everyday offerings and unique foods from around the world.
The store features the special and unique, as well as popular national brand items at everyday low prices. Offerings include a crêpe station, a rösti bar, a sweet shop and the finest in charcuterie domestic and imported cured meats. The Kingsdale Market District also has an in-store demonstration kitchen, which will host national culinary celebrities on an ongoing basis.
Cub FOODS Introduces Live Gluten Free Program
Cub FOODS, part of the nationwide SUPERVALU family of grocery stores, is offering customers afflicted with gluten sensitivity an informative diet management program. SUPERVALU’s family of stores- including Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s/Star Market - will provide signage and special merchandising sets to make it easier for customers to find gluten-free products. Customers can also visit the customer service department to pick up an in-store shopping list/guide to gluten-free products.
“Our gluten-free program is one of a number of programs we've implemented to promote healthy lifestyles for the benefit of the 22 million customers we serve each week,” said Anthony Provenzano, Cub FOODS Pharmacy Director.
'Gold’n Plump Chicken Conducts Contest Promo.
To create community involvement, Gold’n Plump Chicken has launched its “Who Do You Know Who’s Gold'n Good Video Contest and Sweepstakes” whereby Gold'n Plump Chicken is asking everyone to nominate individuals or organizations who deserve recognition or who they feel are Gold’n Good. The promotion was created for Gold'n Plump by BARD Advertising.
Prizes include:1st Prize: $10,000 to charity of choice, $2,000 to the person who enters and $3,000 to the nominee; 2nd Prize: $5,000 to charity of choice, $1,000 to the person who enters and $1,500 to the nominee and 3rd Prize: $2,500 to charity of choice. BARD layered the program with a sweepstakes where consumers have the opportunity to win a Kitchen Appliance Makeover Package, Home Electronics or Food Lover’s Vacation. The Contest and Sweepstakes is being promoted in-store, with on-pack stickers, danglers and special header cards placed in store poultry sections.
Rite Aid & Save-A-Lot Test Co-Branded Stores
Rite Aid has entered into a licensing agreement with Save-A-Lot, a subsidiary of SUPERVALU, to add the discount, limited assortment grocery store concept to 10 existing Rite Aid stores in the Greenville, SC market. Stores co-branded Save-A-Lot Food Stores/Rite Aid Pharmacy have opened in Greer, Simpsonville and Travelers Rest, South Carolina. The stores continue to be owned and operated by Rite Aid.
About 75 percent of the non-pharmacy part of each store is devoted to Save-A-Lot. Grocery products offered by Save-A-Lot include a limited selection of fresh meat, processed smoked and packaged meat, fresh produce, frozen food, dairy and dry groceries at prices up to 40% lower than conventional grocery stores.
Coca-Cola Introduces Consumer Recycling Center
As part Coca-Cola’s commitment to increase recycling of its used packaging material, Coca-Cola Recycling LLC will introduce a new consumer recycling center that accepts and processes aluminum cans and #1 PET plastic beverage bottles. The unit, Reimagine Beverage Containers, is the result of collaboration with Environmental Products Corp. (Envipco) and uses breakthrough, proprietary technology developed by Envipco.
Reimagine is designed to offer free and convenient access to beverage container recycling for those who don't currently recycle. The first Reimagine unit was recently unveiled at a shopping center in Arlington, TX, anchored by Kroger.
New M Booth Survey Pinpoints Six Distinct Food-Shopping Personas
American families are taking a more wholesome approach to food shopping, with 52% saying their purchases are healthy, according to a national survey released by M Booth & Associates’ Better4You group. The survey found that Americans can be grouped into six distinct segments: Child Pleasers, Jugglers, Budget Driven, Short Cuts, Health Savvies and Naturals.
CHILD PLEASERS (27%) Admit they trade nutrition for their kids’ food preferences to avoid a dinner-table standoff. JUGGLERS (18%) see cost, nutrition and child preferences as a balancing act but the balance bar sometimes comes down on the side of cost. BUDGET DRIVEN (16%) parents do a reasonably good job of buying healthy foods, even on a budget. SHORT CUTS (14%) shop for convenience, choosing “quick and simple” rather than “natural” or “organic.” HEALTH SAVVIES (13%) These parents are younger than the other segments and prefer natural products, buy local, cook from scratch, and rely on labels. NATURALS (13%) differ from the Health Savvies in that they are strong advocates of a wholesome lifestyle, including healthy eating. They cook from scratch, and always read labels.
GMA-Booz & Co. Research Reveals Majority Of Manufacturers Will Boost Shopper Marketing Spending
Over the next three years, 83% of food, beverage, and consumer product manufacturers plan to increase their investments in shopper marketing, according to a new report issued by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and Booz & Company. A majority of companies (55%) rank shopper marketing as their number one investment and will boost spending by more than 5% annually.
Key findings of the study revolve around identifying which shopper marketing vehicles are most effective at achieving various marketing objectives along the path to purchase: When looking to build brand awareness and consideration, platforms such as sponsored results and thematic content on manufacturer and retailer websites are most effective. In-store displays, deal platforms (coupons, circulars, etc.) and personalized emails are most effective when increasing product trial and purchase is the objective.
Craft Beers Bubble Over In Popularity, Reports Mintel
While spirits barely edged out beer as the most popular alcoholic beverage enjoyed by consumers between 2009-2010, the market has hardly fallen flat. According to latest research from Mintel, domestic beer is the clear favorite, followed by imported varieties; but 33% of all beer drinkers aged 21 and up are drinking less imported beer because they’re drinking more domestic craft beer instead.
Only a modest percentage of beer drinkers (13%) say they prefer domestic craft or microbrew beers (compared to 43% for domestic and 22% for imported), but an impressive 59% say they like to try them, and 51% would try more craft or microbrew beers if they knew more about them.
“Craft beers have increased in popularity in the past five years, and enjoyed a boost in their consumer base,” said Garima Goel Lal, senior analyst at Mintel. “Craft beer is most popular with the 25-34-year-old crowd, so manufacturers would be wise to target this demographic and educate them more about artisan beers.”
7-Eleven Launches Cherrywood Cellars
7-Eleven has added Cherrywood Cellars to its best-selling line-up of proprietary wines. The mid-tier-priced wine ($7.99 - $8.99 per bottle) is available in three varietals - chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. “We are targeting millennials because they like convenience and want to try new products, especially if we offer a quality product at a great price,”said Jesus Delgado-Jenkins, 7-Eleven Sr. VP Merchandising.
Samuel Adams Launches Infinium
Infinium™ is a new champagne-like beer that sets a new standard in brewing. The sparkling brew is the culmination of a two-year collaboration between Samuel Adams and Germany’s Weihenstephan Brewery. This innovative new beer style adheres to the rigorous standards of the historic German beer purity law that states all beer must be brewed using only four ingredients: malt, hops, water and yeast.
Seattle’s Best Coffee Introduces 'Level' System For Packaged Coffee
Seattle’s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corp., has launched a simplified packaged coffee line designed to change the conventions of the coffee category. With the new Seattle’s Best Coffee “Level” System, consumers will be able to easily find and choose from a selection of Seattle’s Best Coffee blends that span the entire range of coffee, from a mild, light, crisp Level 1 to a bold, dark and intense Level 5.
Tropicana Introduces Tropicana Tropolis
Tropicana Products is testing a new portable kids snack called Tropicana Tropolis™ - a smooth blend of real squeezable fruit, packed with nutrition, designed for kids. Tropicana created this new food line to help moms squeeze the goodness of fruit into kids’ diets.
“Moms have fond memories of Tropicana from their own childhoods, and our hope is that this new nutritious snack will give them yet another way to give their children fruit goodness,” said Memo Maquivar, Tropicana VP Marketing.
Taylor Swift Is Face Of New COVERGIRL Cosmetic Line, NatureLuxe
GRAMMY award-winning star, Taylor Swift, will represent a new generation of makeup - COVERGIRL NatureLuxe. “Taylor’s naturally polished and beautiful look fits perfectly with the new luxury makeup line,” said Vince Hudson, General Manager, COVERGIRL Cosmetics. “NatureLuxe provides luxury that isn’t extravagant, but rather simple, modern elegance inspired by nature.”
Hunt’s Launches Natural Ketchup
Hunt’s, a ConAgra Foods brand, has removed the high fructose corn syrup from every bottle of its ketchup products. Hunt’s 100% Natural Ketchup brings forth the naturally rich tomato flavor of Hunt’s tomatoes and contains only five simple ingredients: tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and other seasonings, with no high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Wine Master Cellars, Denver, CO, creators of the VintageView® label-forward wine storage system, is expanding into the grocery channel to meet product demand. VintageView, which was initially designed as a wall mounted wine rack, can now be adapted to fit with most gondola systems to provide label-forward wine storage to showcase today’s colorful labels. For more information, contact Wine Master Cellars, (Tel) 866-650-1500, (Web site) www.vintageview.com
Midway Displays Inc. offers its patented Clipper Display, which folds flat, and easily snaps open, a line of displays that is the most cost effective in the industry. Floor displays come with 60, 72, 90 and 108 clips and counter displays come with 12, 13 and 36 clips. Black and white are standard colors and special colors are available. These displays pack and ship flat to provide cost savings for storage and shipment. For more information, contact Midway Displays Inc., 6554 South Austin Avenue, Bedford Park, IL 60638. (Web site) www.midwaydisplays.com
Marketing Impact offers Adjustable Shelf Dividers, which adjust to suit most shelf depths. The dividers affix easily to shelves with Snap Bars. Dividers are offered in 2" and 4" heights. The Shelf Dividers may be used with or without Marketing Impact’s Spring Loaded Pushers to keep shelf presentations organized while also deterring theft. For more information, contact Marketing Impact, 50 Planchet Road, Concord, Ontario, Canada, L4K 2C7; (Tel) 800-410-0264, (Web site) www.displaypeople.com
Trion Industries offers the EWT Shelf-Mount Security anti-theft shelf management system. With the EWT shoppers can remove only the front-most item, one-at-a-time. The balance of product is secure preventing mass theft while allowing customers to purchase a single item trouble free. An Auto Feed System forwards fresh product for the next sale. The system can be supplied to secure any size product. For more information, contact Trion Industries, 297 Laird Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, (Tel) 800-444-4665, (Web site) www.triononline.com
FLEXcon, a Spencer, MA-based manufacturer of pressure-sensitive film solutions, has introduced ‘greener’ alternatives for at-retail applications for windows and counter mats; WINDOWdeco™ and FLEXmark® floor art™. Both WINDOWdeco and FLEXmark floor art non-vinyl ‘greener’ products are phthalate free and are produced with less solvent providing a smaller carbon footprint. For more information, contact FLEXcon at 508-885-8370 or (Web site) www.flexcon.com
Lay’s Tour Features U.S. Potato Farmers
Lay’s potato chips recently conducted the “Lay’s Mobile Farm” tour to celebrate the people and communities across the country that produce its line of potato chips. Visitors to the “Lay’s Mobile Farm,” a 70' long, 10' wide and 14' high traveling greenhouse, will have an opportunity to interact first-hand with plants, meet a Lay’s potato farmer and enjoy interactive stations. Families will also receive take-home materials that provide simple tips and fun activities to inspire at-home gardening. To help get more gardens growing, the Lays brand will give away approximately 8,000 individual basil plants to people who participate in the farm experience.
Starlite Media’s Multi-Vu Sign Reaches Supermarket Shoppers
Starlite Media has introduced the Multi-Vu sign. Each patented Multi-Vu sign provides 4 advertising panels (approximately 50" h x 35"w) to capture shoppers entering and exiting the supermarket. This provides a client with an interesting creative opportunity to utilize all four sides of a Multi-Vu unit. For more information, contact Starlite Media, LLC , 919 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022; (Tel) 212-909-7700; (Web Site) www.starlitemedia.com.
StoreBoard Media Launches CategoryCircle Customization For In-Store Billboards
StoreBoard Media (www.storeboards.net) has rolled-out a customer-centric enhancement to its in-store billboard network that directs shoppers to the specific aisle in which an advertised product can be found. Called CategoryCircle™, the innovation consists of an eye-catching red circle placed on StoreBoard’s entranceway billboards that reads “Find in Aisle …,” directing shoppers to the specific aisle in which the advertised product can be found in that store. The concept was successfully tested recently in select markets in advance of its official introduction.
“CategoryCircle™ will benefit shoppers and retailers alike,” said Doug Leeds, Chief Executive Officer, StoreBoard Media. “It will make the shopping experience easier for the customer while steering them to an aisle they might not have otherwise visited, thereby providing sales lift for the retailer.”
BioBest Yogurt Runs Sampling Promotion
Parmalat Canada has launched Astro BioBest probiotic yogurt with Plant Sterols, the first and only probiotic yogurt available in Canada that offers a healthy and delicious option to consumers managing their cholesterol levels. Each 100g serving is enriched with 50 per cent of the daily amount of plant sterols recommended to help lower cholesterol.
Canadians in Montreal were able to sample a taste to see for themselves recently. Not only were Canadians given a cup of yogurt as they made their way around the city, they were able to take a good look at what 100 pounds of raw fruits and vegetables versus two servings of BioBest probiotic yogurt with Plant Sterols actually looks like, along with learning about plant sterols, their benefits and healthy eating. Consumers who identified their favorite flavor on the Astro BioBest Web Site were eligible to win prizes.
Little Debbie Conducts Nationwide Tour
The Little Debbie® Million Smile Mission Tour is an eight-month campaign created to share as many snacks as possible with America. The brand will be giving away hundreds of great prizes, including seasonal treats, digital cameras, digital picture frames and even a 2011 16 foot long, 8 foot wide Airstream Sport travel trailer, valued at more than $34,000. Little Debbie® snacks is also asking a million people to share their own smiles by uploading pictures of themselves to become part of the national Little Debbie photo mosaic portrait.
And to help make it even easier for some lucky Little Debbie® snacks lovers, the Smile Squad will tour the country in the official Airstream Sport travel trailer, stopping along the way to take pictures, show off the Million Smile Mission Tour Travel Trailer and share tasty treats. The Little Debbie® Million Smile Mission Tour will visit dozens of cities across the nation.
Good Earth Tea Runs ‘Bold Taste, Bold Sounds’ Promotion
Good Earth Tea recently teamed up with EMI Music to offer consumers free music with every purchase of specially marked boxes of Good Earth Tea. Good Earth Tea consumers could download a free song from EMI’s long list of well-known artists. With over 25 different varieties of Good Earth Tea and more than two hundred thousand songs to choose from, consumers could enjoy both tea and music to suit any taste.
“At Good Earth Tea, we are all about creativity and imagination. That’s what inspired our connection with creative, one-of-a-kind artists,” said Deborah Glasser, Marketing Director for Tata Global Beverages, which owns Good Earth Tea. “Music offers yet another way to celebrate the uniqueness of our customers, and EMI’s musical line-up is as distinctive as our teas.”
Consumers could download one song for each purchase, with no purchase limit. The “Bold Taste - Bold Sounds” promotion was supported via point-of-purchase displays.
NY Giants Receiver Steve Smith To Endorse New Leaf Brands
New Leaf Brands has formed an agreement with Steve Smith, Pro Bowl wide receiver for the New York Giants, for a multi-season endorsement agreement. “Steve Smith is exactly the type of athlete we want endorsing New Leaf. He excels on the field and is relatable off the field, where he is extremely active with his fans in Social Media and heavily involved in charitable organizations,” said New Leaf CEO, Eric Skae.
Constellation Wines Runs Mobile Mktg Promo.
Constellation Wines recently worked with Augme Technologies, a New York City-based mobile marketing firm, to conduct a mobile phone promotion.
Free-standing inserts (FSIs) in newspapers directed customers to an interactive experience via SMS keywords and QR codes (two-dimensional codes readable by smartphones). Retailers include these “mobile calls to action” via bottleneck hangers and case cards. Texting the key words “HOST,” “WINE,” “CHEERS” or “PARTY” to 30333 or scanning the 2D barcode directed consumers to a mobile site powered by the AD LIFE™ platform.
Customers accessing the mobile site found: Party Planning Calculator: customized results recommending the amount of wine needed based on length of party and number of guests. Food and Wine Pairings: recommendations for wines based on a customer’s party menu. Promotions: Consumers could opt-in to receive promotions from Constellation Wines.
Sara Lee Runs ‘Dream Home’ Promo.
Launch Creative Marketing, Chicago, recently created a promotion for Sara Lee’s State Fair Brand corn dogs, offering half a million dollars towards a dream home. The State Fair “Dream Home” promotion was an online game where consumers could enter codes from promotional packages to collect all six virtual rooms in the “Dream Home,” to win the half a million dollar grand prize. Consumers could also win one of over ten thousand instant prizes from rooms they collect, like an HDTV or washer/dryer unit. The sweepstakes was promoted on-pack, with FSIs, and with Sara Lee’s first-ever mobile promotion overlay. Consumers could opt-in to mobile messaging to get updates on remaining prizes.
Most people enjoy corn dogs at outdoor events, but don't think of them often as a meal or snack idea at home. The objective of the promotion was to change this behavior, by increasing awareness and building purchase frequency.
Whole Foods Market Displays Non-GMO Verified Foods
Whole Foods Market recently partnered with the Non-GMO Project to raise awareness about the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply.
“Shoppers want more information about what’s happening to their food,” said Michael Besancon, Whole Foods VP Marketing. “The Non-GMO Project’s program helps us stay true to our mission of offering food in its most natural state. This program gives us and our suppliers a way to label non-GMO verified products so consumers can make informed choices.” Whole Foods Market shoppers could learn about non-GMO verified products through special displays and product demonstrations.
LIFT Interactive Selling System Launched
The LIFT Station is a new interactive point of sale suggestive selling platform that notifies shoppers about promotions at check-out. The LIFT Station™ uses live transaction data to perform real-time basket analysis and the LIFT Affinity Engine™ determines the optimal shopper offer. The LIFT Station then displays the optimal shopper offer using digital flat screens. The LIFT Station “touch to scan” feature allows cashiers to complete the sale using the cashier-facing touch-screen display. For more information, contact LIFT Retail Marketing Technology, (Tel) 877-333-5055; (Web Site) www.liftrmt.com.
Shrek: The Whole Story Debuts In Box Set
All four films of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s Shrek franchise have been offered together for the first time ever on Blu-ray in “Shrek: The Whole Story.” Remastered for the most brilliant viewing experience, the collection encompasses the entire saga, delivering over 13 hours of extraordinary entertainment.
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