Hostess and Mars teamed up to create a new line of brownies featuring Milky Way and M&M’s candy brands.
Partnering up, rebranding
A common theme in the sweet goods category during 2016 involved partnerships between well-known brands and brand refreshes.
At the Sweets & Snacks Expo held in late May in Chicago, Hostess Brands L.L.C., Kansas City, highlighted its new line of brownies featuring Milky Way and M&M’s candy brands. The brownies were developed in a partnership with Mars, Inc.
“Brownies are a white space for us; it’s a segment of the category that we didn’t play in,” said Mr. Toler of Hostess. “And we wanted to do something to elevate the brownie experience with the Hostess brand, and we found the best way to do that was to co-brand with a great partner like Mars. And we’ve done it with M&M’s and Milky Way, and we have hopes and plans to do it with other of their brands in the future.”
Hostess recently revived the Suzy Q’s snack cake brand and unveiled a newly reformulated line of Mini Muffins.
Hostess also revived the Suzy Q’s snack cake brand and unveiled a newly reformulated line of Mini Muffins.
After 20-plus years, the Mrs. Freshley’s brand of Thomasville, Ga.-based Flowers Foods, Inc. opted for a refresh during 2016. Mrs. Freshley’s is in the process of rolling out new packaging and a new slogan: “Make life sweeter!”
The packaging highlights Mrs. Freshley’s sweet goods though vivid colors and easy-to-read product descriptions. Each multipack box features product images that Flowers said “come alive on pack,” while the cellophane-wrapped, single-serve packages showcase products through a clear view window or “a mouthwatering photo.”
Flowers Foods' Mrs. Freshley's brand is rolling out new packaging and a new slogan.
Mrs. Freshley’s new logo boasts a bright, bold color scheme of red, white and gold tones to complement the large font. The logo also features the brand’s new tagline, which encourages consumers to “Make life sweeter!” by choosing Mrs. Freshley’s sweet treats.
Flowers said consumer research showed people prefer Mrs. Freshley’s new packaging due to the increased size of the logo and product images, which make it easier to spot on shelves.
McKee Foods Corp. added to its Little Debbie Zebra snack cakes line with the debut of three new items.
Meanwhile, McKee Foods Corp. added to its Little Debbie Zebra snack cakes line with the debut of three new items: Zebra Cake Rolls, Zebra Brownies and Zebra Plus Nutty Bars.
“We want to provide an unmatched experience to the category by combining the exciting visual identity of our Zebra brand with the classic tastes of Little Debbie Brownies, Cake Rolls and Nutty Bars,” said Thomas Mossbeck, product manager for Little Debbie.
