Baking & Snack - March 2018 - 58
Superior consistent quality PRODUCT REINVENTION "We live in a country where consumers want to buy and consume snacks and baked products wherever they are whenever they want and at the right price." Sally Lyons Wyatt, IRI Discover the North Dakota Difference Standard Patent Flour: Dakota Champion The standard of excellence for the baking industry, Dakota Champion flours are suitable for a wide variety of breads, rolls and specialty products. Call 1-800-538-7721 to discover the difference. www.ndmill.com FSSCMarch 22000 CERTIFIED 58 Baking & Snack 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com Sometimes product reinvention is an easy decision based on popularity and sales. Burke Raine, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer, Hostess, said the company's iconic HoHos brand was in decline for much of 2016. Hostess wanted to give the product some publicity and excitement among consumers. "We looked at the intersection of sales and consumer trends data," Mr. Raine said. "The HoHo is an icon, and we didn't want to change the original flavor - which many consumers love - so we, instead, decided on a line extension to reinvigorate the brand." Last year, Hostess launched Peanut Butter HoHos, which include a chocolate cake coating with stripes of peanut butter and a peanut butter filling. According to Mr. Raine, the HoHo brand is growing again, and Hostess even converted one of its plants into a peanut-friendly facility to keep up with demand for the popular new product and other peanut butter-flavored items. In addition to playing up the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination, Hostess took into account consumer demands when deciding which direction to go. "With Peanut Butter HoHos, it was consumer acceptance of the concept that got us most excited for the flavor," Mr. Raine said. But the new product was more than just a change in flavor. "Consumers are looking for real ingredients as well, so being able to say 'made with real peanut butter' was a nice bit of permission for people to enjoy a treat," he added. To be successful with product reinvention, a company must know its consumers. Just as people's preferences constantly evolve, so should a company's engagement with their wants and needs. Ms. Lyons Wyatt stressed the importance of reinvention as "a part of an overall innovation strategy that companies look at to drive incremental growth and to evolve with consumers' ever-changing needs." Shoppers' taste buds won't stop searching for something new. But by using brand loyalty and classic snacks to their advantage through product reinvention, companies can ensure curious consumers keep coming back to the brands that are keeping up with them. *
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