Dive Brief:
- Cookie brand Famous Amos has launched three varieties of its little cookies called Famous Amos Wonders From the World that feature premium ingredients from different countries.
- The three varieties include Belgian Chocolate Chips; Philippine Coconut and White Chocolate Chips; and Mediterranean Hazelnut and Chocolate Chips. The brand has also revamped the packaging to reflect the sourcing of its ingredients with location-inspired graphics. Each 7-ounce bag costs $4.49.
- Consumers were drawn to premium foods during the pandemic, according to data from market research firm IRI, with an uptick in demand for brands consumers are already generally familiar with.
Dive Insight:
The momentum behind premium offerings provides Famous Amos with an opportunity to refresh its brand identity and reconnect with consumers while potentially attracting new ones. Legacy brands can suffer from bouts of staleness, particularly when the market is being flooded with offerings from innovative startups and new brands entering the space. On the other hand, well-known products, which often invoke feelings of nostalgia and comfort, may have an easier time getting consumers to try their refreshed offerings because of the pre-existing relationship.
While the new cookie varieties use already popular ingredients like hazelnuts and coconut, Famous Amos' refreshed packaging touts the countries where they are sourced — a strategy used by several brands as global finds remain popular among consumers, according to McCormick Flavor Forecast.
Although some consumers may have a strong affinity to the classic yellow packaging, its new packaging maintains a lot of the same elements, including a centered image of the cookie and the same logo font. The cleaner lines and illustrated visuals modernize the look, which often appeals to a younger generation.
Famous Amos’ former parent company, Kellogg, sold the brand to Ferrero in 2019 for $1.3 billion, along with a variety of other classic cookie brands, including Keebler and Mother’s. Ferrero has been working steadily to give each of these long-standing brands a reboot as it aims to become a bigger contender across a variety of sweet-focused segments.
Some of Ferrero’s other brand refresh efforts include making changes to Keebler’s line of cookies. Ferrero’s goal in tackling the revamp wasn’t a widespread overhaul but instead a focus on making small changes to increase consumer awareness and boost appeal. It also focused on premium ingredients for Keebler’s revamp, launching new products like Keebler Chips Deluxe with natural vanilla and more real chocolate.
It also relaunched portfolio company Ferrara Candy’s fruit snacks business with a new colorfully packaged brand called Funables featuring higher quality ingredients. The brand was part of its acquisition from Kellogg.