The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods: April 4, 2025 edition

Welcome to The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that covers the latest must-know news surrounding the CPG space.

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day just announced the launch of a pet care line, Mrs. Meyer’s for Pets, as pet ownership in the U.S. skyrockets, with 94 million households now having at least one pet (as we noted in this week’s edition of The Weekly 10). Featuring six products — including Pet Stain & Odor Fighter and a Dog Deodorizing Spritz — the line expands upon the brand’s portfolio of home cleaning and personal care products with pet cleaning and grooming products that are certified cruelty-free. Mrs. Meyer’s for Pets is kicking off with a campaign meant to “help pet parents ‘furgive’ and ‘furget,’” per a brand announcement. Between now and April 30, pet owners can file an “oopsurance” claim at MrsMeyers.com/oopsurance for a chance to score a coupon for a free product from the line. Mrs. Meyer’s for Pets is available now at MrsMeyers.com, Amazon, PetSmart and Chewy.

More product launches and line extensions:

• “Method Expands Personal Care Line, Launches at Ulta Beauty” (Happi)
• “Got2b unleashes strong-hold products for curly tresses” (Drug Store News)
• “Clif Bar Launches New Caffeinated Collection” (Food Manufacturing)
• “Jones Soda Announces New ‘Jones Zero Cola’” (Food Manufacturing)

Ferrero’s Butterfinger just released a limited-edition offering, Salted Caramel Butterfinger, that offers a sweet and salty twist on the candy’s classic flavor — and to celebrate, it’s partnering with New Jersey coffee/bakeshop The Hive. For a limited time, The Hive is offering two new Salted Caramel Butterfinger–inspired menu items: a salted caramel peanut butter cinnamon roll (also available through Goldbelly) and a salted caramel Butterfinger-flavored latte. Fans can get their hands on the sweet collabs at The Hive locations in Hoboken and Jersey City through the end of April. Meanwhile, Salted Caramel Butterfinger is rolling out to major retailers nationwide through June 2025.

More brand collabs and partnerships:

• “Liquid Death and MSG Deal Embeds the Brand in Iconic American Venues” (Adweek)
• “Don Julio teams up with Peggy Gou” (The Spirits Business)
• “Rockstar Energy Adds Formula Drift Driver Amanda Sorensen To Sports Roster” (MediaPost)
• “Elijah Craig Named Official Bourbon of 2025 PGA Championship” (The Whiskey Wash)

Actor Glen Powell just launched Smash Kitchen, a new line of organic, non-GMO condiments, to “meet the growing demand for ingredient transparency without compromising on flavor or affordability,” per a brand announcement. Available online and in-store at Walmart, Smash Kitchen includes traditional condiments and sauces — including ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and BBQ sauce — as well as unique flavor combinations such as hot honey ketchup and spicy mayonnaise. Smash Kitchen’s offerings range in price from $2.17 to $4.97.

More product launches:

• “Penelope Bourbon Just Dropped Its First Bottled Cocktail: Peach Old Fashioned” (Bottle Raiders)
• “Johnnie Walker Black Ruby launches worldwide” (The Spirits Business)
• “Sierra Tequila launches RTD Margaritas” (The Spirits Business)
• “Anheuser-Busch debuts a new vodka tea brand called Skimmers” (Food Dive)

Wonderful Pistachios just unveiled a new on-trend flavor offering in its No Shells lineup: dill pickle. Ranking alongside Wonderful Pistachios’ other top-performing flavors in consumer taste tests, the brand’s new variety “offers a satisfying balance of tangy and savory,” per a brand announcement. Available in 2.5-ounce bags, Wonderful Pistachios No Shells Dill Pickle are rolling out to convenience stores nationwide.

Previously: “Zing Zang debuts Dill Pickle Bloody Mary Mix,” from the March 21 edition of this column.

More flavor innovations:

• “Cheerios Protein Cookies & Crème is Sweet and Satisfying” (Trend Hunter)
• “Edible and Tajín Team Up for a ‘Swicy’ New Collaboration” (License Global)
• “Hershey’s Reese’s brand unveils PB&J Big Cups” (FoodBev Media)
• “Margherita Jalapeño Pepperoni Heats Up a Classic Pizza Topping” (Trend Hunter)
• “Pop-Tarts Just Dropped the Girl Scout Cookie Flavors You’ve Been Waiting For” (Taste of Home)
• “Hershey’s Kisses debuts Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor” (Candy Industry)
• “BeatBox Beverages and Van Holten’s Made a Big Papa Pickle Margarita” (Trend Hunter)

Absolut, the official vodka partner of Coachella, just announced it will host the Absolut House of Cosmo at the annual music festival in partnership with Paris Hilton and her media company 11:11. An immersive experience “that blends cocktails, culture, creativity and community,” per a brand announcement, the Absolut House of Cosmo at Coachella (which runs April 11-13 and 18-20 this year) will feature a menu of Absolut cocktails, a lounge (The Sliving Room), “self-expression stations” and exclusive performances. The Pernod Ricard–owned brand is also partnering with cultural commentator Tefi Pessoa to launch the Absolut House of Cosmo Textline (442-200-5576), through which Pessoa will provide Coachella tips (for fans ages 21 and up). Absolut and Hilton also just dropped the Paris Hilton X Absolut Cosmo Collection, available at ReserveBar.com, featuring the new Ready-to-Serve Absolut Classic Cosmopolitan and merch curated by Hilton.

Previously: “Absolut expands its RTD and RTS cocktail offerings with new classic and Ocean Spray flavors,” from the Feb. 7 edition of this column.

More brand activations:

• “The Torani Flavor Factory Shares a Taste of the Past & Future” (Trend Hunter)
• “Hellmann’s turns ketchup into currency to push mayo, fries combo” (Marketing Dive)
• ICYMI: “Sipping, Reading: Mary Dowling Whiskey Promotes Bourbon-Book Experience” (MediaPost)

More CPG campaigns:

• “Why Olaplex is leading with emotion for its latest refresh, campaign” (Marketing Dive)
• “Dove Men+Care Taps Jared McCain for March Madness Campaign” (Beauty Packaging)
• “Neutrogena taps in John Cena for ‘Sunscreen You Can’t See’ campaign” (Drug Store News)
• “Paige DeSorbo Fronts ‘Give Gloss’ Campaign” (Happi)

CPG brands’ April Fools’ Day pranks and campaigns:

• “Olipop and Hidden Valley Created a Savory Four-Pack for April Fool’s Day” (Trend Hunter)
• “Heineken Beer Debuts Limited-Edition Skin Cream” (Beauty Packaging)
• “KFC’s Fried Chicken Toothpaste Is Real, and We Have Questions” (Food & Wine)
• “Natural Grocers Teased April Fool’s Day Flavors Like Raw Onion Water” (Trend Hunter)
• “April Fools’ Day 2025 — see all the best brand pranks from Asda to Yahoo” (Ad Age)