How do you retire a brand icon? Dos Equis announced this week it was sending its "Most Interesting Man in the World" on a one-way trip to Mars -- part of a week filled with new products, trend updates, and marketing moves.
One for the market, two for the show
The current "Most Interesting Man" character will be rocketed into retirement and a replacement is coming, Dos Equis brand owner Heineken announced. It's a safe bet the new Man will be younger, given that Dos Equis wants to attract younger drinkers and the actor who has played the role is 77. It wouldn’t be the first time a food and beverage industry figure was aged down, potentially the face of ridicule.
Poll: Is the new Hamburglar hot? http://t.co/1HEVQi5LOb pic.twitter.com/sPeHlYUpCC
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) May 6, 2015
There’s one marketing stunt this week that begs questions about what’s really going on in the food industry. Kraft proved it could reformulate its legacy brand with healthier ingredients without much attention to the difference in taste or appearance. It touted the move as the world’s largest "blind taste test." It’s these small tweaks that manufacturers are after to appease consumers looking for better-for-you products.
Though is such "secrecy" the way to go? It’s an interesting tactic for the company, as many of its competitors document these changes along the way. General Mills, for instance, has made its cereal updates loud and clear. Drawing attention to Trix’s change was likely necessary, though, considering its obvious color change.
But are these "tweaks" even worth it at all? According to a study published in the medical journal BMJ Open, "ultra-processed" foods like frozen pizza and soda dominate Americans' diets. Still, the best bet today is to follow the better-for-you trends (as even frozen pizza and soda have done) or get left behind.
Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola, yet again
It was a case of you win some, you lose some for the soda giants this week. PepsiCo is winning in soda brand loyalty, per Brand Keys' 21st annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index. But Coca-Cola’s confidence in sparkling water — a new Minute Maid line — suggests it has the power to dominate a category where PepsiCo hasn’t seen much success. Perhaps that’s where Coca-Cola’s strength needs to be. PepsiCo’s diverse categories makes pushing into many trends advantageous, but capitalizing on too many trends could become a disadvantage if it’s spread too thin.
And it’s facing another wrinkle in Chobani’s upcoming Greek yogurt-based drinks launch. The timing is notable, as Bloomberg points out, considering Chobani recently rejected Pepsi’s majority stake offer (and other offers). If Chobani succeeds in the category, the loss for PepsiCo would sting … or would it? The company is teasing a Gatorade venture into yogurt — "a protein-enriched yogurt designed for muscle recovery," according to Ad Age.
The takeaway here is that PepsiCo has ready access to capital for innovation, always giving it a competitive edge size-wise compared to younger companies and startups. And that’s why a majority stake in Chobani would have been a win-win: all that innovation under one roof.
Craziest story of the week
This raw milk story speaks for itself:
