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.
Tropicana highlights lack of artificial ingredients with new limited-edition “Tropcn” packaging
To call attention to its all-natural ingredients, orange juice brand Tropicana released limited-edition packaging this week with the letters “AI” removed from its name, per a company statement. The “Tropcn” bottle is meant to draw attention to the fact that there is nothing artificial about Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice — a divergence from society’s increasing focus on artificial intelligence (AI).
The announcement coincided with the brand’s presence at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Tropicana gave away Tropcn bottles. Additionally, 100 bottles have been placed in Kroger-owned grocery stores across the U.S. — each of which includes a code that, when scanned, will enter the purchaser in a giveaway for their chance to win a trip to Florida.
E.l.f. Cosmetics releases true crime parody inspired by IRL “e.l.f.-pinching”
E.l.f. Cosmetics released a true crime parody documentary on Amazon Freevee on Monday, titled “Cosmetic Criminals,” chronicling what it calls “widespread e.l.f.-pinching in households everywhere,” per a company statement. Directed by Alex Buono and starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Nelson Franklin and Necar Zadegan, the 15-minute ad will also play ahead of Paramount Pictures’ new Mean Girls movie at select AMC locations on Jan. 12. It will be the longest branded ad to ever run on the big screen, according to National CineMedia.
“Borrowing e.l.f. holy grails from family and friends without the intention of returning, a.k.a. Intergenerational Cos Crime, is a global phenomenon — between siblings, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives — even grandparents are not spared,” Chief Brand Officer of e.l.f. Beauty Laurie Lam said in a wry statement.
Buffalo Trace releases Traveller Whiskey in collaboration with Chris Stapleton
On Monday, Sazerac Company’s Buffalo Trace officially announced the release of its new Traveller Whiskey, a premium blended 90-proof whiskey created in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Chris Stapleton. Named after his first studio album, Traveller is an ode to Stapleton’s ties to the Kentucky distillery, located near his hometown of Lexington.
Created by Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, the spirit, which has a suggested retail price of $39.99, is “the result of countless hours of testing, tasting and dedication to craftsmanship that have produced powerful songs and world-class whiskeys,” per a company statement.
Taco Bell, Kraft Heinz launch “Cravings Kits,” enabling fans to recreate popular Taco Bell menu items at home
Taco Bell, in partnership with The Kraft Heinz Company, has launched its first-ever Cravings Kits, available exclusively at Walmart, per a Kraft Heinz statement. The two inaugural meal-kit varieties, Crunchwrap Supreme and Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla, come with everything customers need to recreate each menu item — including “proprietary Taco Bell restaurant ingredients, seasonings and sauces” — and are part of Kraft Heinz’s Taco Bell at Home line of products.
The Cravings Kits capitalize on a viral trend. As Kraft Heinz notes in its statement, videos of fans attempting to recreate the Crunchwrap Supreme (on their own, without a Cravings Kit) have garnered more than 50 million views on TikTok as of December.
The kits were made possible through Kraft Heinz’s recent expansion of its partnership with the fast food giant — a move meant to help the CPG company meet its goal of reaching $2 billion in incremental net sales by 2027, Food Dive’s Christopher Doering reports. “Taco Bell, in particular, allows the Oscar Mayer and Lunchables maker to tap into both the fast-growing consumer demand for Mexican food and a desire to replicate the restaurant experience within their own homes,” he writes.
Further reading
- “How Juliet Wine is making boxed wine sophisticated” (Ad Age)
- “Hain Celestial launches better-for-you offering in $9B tortilla chip category” (Food Dive)
- “You Can Now Wear Velveeta Cheese ‘Drip’ As A Golden Lip Cuff” (Mashed)
- “Oscar Mayer in search of next ‘hotdoggers’ to drive the Weinermobile — for $35,600” (NBC News)
- “Consumer demand for canned cocktails up 20%” (The Spirits Business)
- “Doritos returns to the Super Bowl to plug Dinamita variety” (Ad Age)
- “Pete Davidson’s Way Too Jazzed About Totino’s Pizza Rolls” (Muse)
- “Sweethearts limited-edition ‘situationship’ candy boxes full of ‘blurry’ messages fly off shelves” (Fox Business)
- “11 Dry January marketing campaigns and products as non-alcoholic beverages see growth” (Ad Age)
- “Nutritional quality and affordability drive ingredient trends for 2024: report” (Grocery Dive)
- “Sanpellegrino unveils Zero Grams Added Sugar beverage line” (Drug Store News)
- “Ice Spice Lands ‘Starry’ Super Bowl Commercial Debut: Exclusive” (Billboard)
- “High Noon is top-selling spirit in US” (The Spirits Business)
- “Tito’s Debuts a Charming ‘Spokescart’ With Mixology Skills in New Ad Series” (Adweek)
- “Pepsi endorses a different kind of ‘wild side’ in millennial-focused Wild Cherry campaign” (The Drum)
- “Cadbury Remixes a Crowd Favorite for Nostalgic 200th Anniversary Campaign” (Adweek)
Thanks for reading.
If you’d like to catch up on prior installments of this column, start by heading to our last recap: “The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods: January 5, 2024 edition”
