The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods: October 18, 2024 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.

In a nod to Lay’s flavors cooked up by some of the brand’s most devoted fans, Frito-Lay just announced the relaunch of its Lay’s Do Us a Flavor contest. Since debuting in 2012, the competition has run four times, resulting in the release of 14 unique Lay’s varieties including Southern Biscuits & Gravy and Wasabi Ginger. Now, following a seven-year hiatus, Lay’s Do Us a Flavor is once again inviting people to submit their flavor combinations for the chance to see their idea on store shelves in 2025 — and score a $1 million prize. Fans can submit up to 10 flavor ideas per day (through Feb. 21) at DoUsAFlavor.com. To kick off the fifth iteration of the contest, Lay’s will be rereleasing, for a limited time, five “fan-favorite flavors” from previous contests and hosting a social media giveaway through which fans can win combo packs featuring all five varieties.

More CPG contests and promotions:

• “Welch’s Wants to Make Your House the Go-to Halloween Destination with Full-Size Treats and a Trick-or-Treat Butler” (All Hallows Geek)
• “Tic Tac’s Choose Your Next Match Lets Fans Vote on a New Flavor” (Trend Hunter)
• “Pepsi and Baskin-Robbins Mark 150th Anniversary of Ice Cream Float With Giveaway” (RetailWire)
• “You Can Win a Pair of Werther’s Original Jeans with 30 Candy Pockets for National Caramel Month” (Woman’s World)

Mars cat treat brand Temptations has launched a book series meant to “take treat time to the next level,” per a brand announcement. “Tails of Irresistibility: A Collection of Kitterary Classics” features four books penned by “Jasper T. Cat.” Each offers its own feline twist on a classic tale, with such titles as “Furr-ankenstein” and “Romeow & Juliet.” The “snackable two-minute reads” are designed to be enjoyed with Temptations’ new Lickable Spoons treats, as the set includes a fifth hollow book that serves as a storage space for said treats, which come in three flavors: Tasty Chicken and Savory Salmon, Savory Salmon and Tempting Tuna, and Tasty Chicken and Cheesy Cheese. The limited-edition Temptations Lickable Spoons Variety Pack (complete with a scratch pad exterior) retails for $17.88 on the brand’s website.

More CPG campaigns, activations and launches:

• “Reynolds Shared an Espresso Turkey-tini Recipe for Thanksgiving” (Trend Hunter)
• “Coffee Mate Changes ‘Sad’ Teacher’s Lounges Into ‘Coffee Paradise’” (MediaPost)
• “7-Eleven Launches Hot Dog-Flavored Chips” (CStore Decisions)
• “BonBon’s Vegan-Friendly Salty Black Licorice Took Six Years to Develop” (Trend Hunter)
• “Angry Orchard Aims To Scare Customers This Halloween” (MediaPost)
• “Jim Beam Launches Limited-Edition Winter Reserve Bourbon” (VinePair)
• “Ben & Jerry’s unveils limited-edition Noah Kahan flavor” (Dairy Foods)
• ICYMI: “Kit Kat and Reese’s new Halloween costume lets you dress up and hand out candy at the same time” (Ad Age)
• ICYMI: “Frito-Lay Thinks Out of the Bag with New Doritos Restaurant” (Retail TouchPoints)

That’s the additional amount of chips that PepsiCo (owner of snack brands such as Lay’s, Tostitos and Doritos) will begin putting in some bags of chips “to claw back customers tired of higher prices with skimpier bags,” CNN Business’ Nathaniel Meyersohn reports. These “bonus” bags, as PepsiCo is calling them, will cost the same as standard bags and be available in select locations. (See more industry and marketing stats in the most recent edition of The Weekly 10.)

More CPG insights:

• “RTD growth slows as category matures” (The Spirits Business)
• “CPG digital ad spend to slow after two boom years” (eMarketer)

In collaboration with skiwear brand Perfect Moment, Diageo-owned Johnnie Walker just released its limited-edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet, a new blend of whiskies meant to capture “the essence of the luxury après-ski experience,” per a brand statement. Perfect Moment designed the Blue Label Ice Chalet bottle, along with a bottle bag inspired by the “Blue Hour” — “the magical time when skiing is done and turns to socializing” — as well as a capsule skiwear collection. Johnnie Walker Blue Label ambassador, Perfect Moment shareholder and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has joined the brand in a campaign to promote the collection, dubbed Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet x Perfect Moment, which will be showcased at a series of global events starting later this month.

More CPG collaborations and partnerships:

• “Burger King Introduces Giant Tub of Ranch Dressing for Free With Any Sandwich” (Men’s Journal)
• “Reserva de la Familia partners with Michelin” (The Spirits Business)
• “‘The Washington Post’ Is Featured In Tony’s Chocolonely Offering” (MediaPost)
• “French Montana is the New Ambassador of Ultra Vice Guava” (Trend Hunter)

Dorot Gardens, known for its fresh-frozen packages of pre-portioned herbs and garlic, just launched a rebrand that’s “all about simplicity and convenience,” per a brand statement, and is based on its new culinary concept and tagline: “Pop. Drop. Done.” The rebrand includes a new product line, new packaging, a redesigned website and in-store displays, all backed by a campaign that spans digital and print, including ads in national magazines. And in November, the brand will begin offering what it’s calling “Wilt Insurance” — a trade-in program that will allow consumers to swap their wilted herbs for Dorot Farms products.

Even more CPG launches:

• “Spiceology Launches Four Signature Blends at Target Nationwide” (Longview News-Journal)
• “Skittles blends crispy, crunchy textures together in Pop’d candies” (Drug Store News)
• “Nestlé Introduces Blue Bottle New Orleans Craft Instant Coffee” (Food Engineering)
• “Delimex debuts quesadillas for the microwave” (Food Business News)
• “Butterball introduces cook-from-frozen turkey for a no-thaw Thanksgiving” (Today)
• “Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg launch gin” (The Spirits Business)
• “Ferrero’s Butterfinger debuts first major innovation in nearly a decade” (Food Dive)
• “Godiva launches limited-edition Belgian Heritage Collection” (Bake Magazine)
• “GoodPop releases first new dairy products in seven years” (Dairy Foods Magazine)
• “Danny McBride launches Tequila brand” (The Spirits Business)