Brand Innovations - New Forms & Categories

In the past couple of years, even with ongoing supply chain issues, we’ve noticed a number of brands upping the ante in the grocery store. These adventurous brands are pushing boundaries and claiming shelf space with new product forms, partnerships, and packaging. Some have taken brands with a singular focus or SKU and turned them into something entirely different - a house of products that all follow the principles and recognition of their origin - while others have jumped into unexpected categories and carved out a new place for themselves.

With the branding and popularity of Cinnadust, the cinnamon/sugar blend that makes Cinnamon Toast Crunch so tasty, Cinnamon Toast Crunch has been on a new category rampage ever since. They’ve introduced baking kits, pancake mix, frosting, snacks like popcorn and remixes, as well as refrigerated cookie dough, and simply the Cinnadust itself.

Jet-Puffed marshmallows has pushed into the snack space with flavored, coated marshmallows. Shelved in the baking aisle with the original brand’s package this fun foray into treat-land might be missed. The clean package with their new-ish logo placed on top just exude joy.

Kodiak Cakes, the family brand of protein packed pancake mix, has reinvented itself into all kinds of snacks. Granola bars, protein balls, baked crackers/cookies and power brownie and muffin mixes are now rounding out the grocery aisles.

A spicy surprise, Tapatio, the beloved hot sauce, has made its way into the instant ramen space after living for years as a condiment on top of other brands’ noodles.

Arizona Tea has created fruit snacks alongside another brand of theirs, Arnold Palmer. The large bags are clearly meant for adults and lean into their brands’ color cues and symbols - which stand out in the category against longstanding competition, like Welch’s or in-house store brands.

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar expanded into shelf-stable prebiotic refreshers with flavors that feel very on brand, and add to the package architecture with fresh feeling ingredient photography.

Post’s Fruity Pebbles have been exploding their reach beyond the cereal aisle with products in baking, breakfast, candy, and snack categories. New forms include Fruity Pebble Crisps which are essentially Fruity Pebble mini rice cakes but with fruity flavor.

In a naturally adjacent category, Philadelphia Cream Cheese moved into the refrigerated indulgence space last year with their cheesecake crumble. Packed like yogurt with the crumble separated from the dairy product, its single serve nature makes cheesecake cravings more accessible as a treat any day.

In 2018 Funfetti was acquired and new ownership saw the potential innovation baked-in to the 30-year-old brand. Since then, they’ve added 70 new items including donuts, ice cream, pancakes, and Coffee-mate. “We’ve taken something that was in one category, and we platformed it across a lot of different categories within the store, and it’s traveled. Everywhere it shows up, there are [consumers] interested and enthusiastic about it.” (Food Dive, May 3, 2022)

Instead of pruning their offerings, big brands with their feet firmly planted in a category can stretch, and innovate. Differentiated products offer new opportunities, new partnerships or collaborations, new audiences, and bring their super fans right along for the ride.