Simone Biles Scores Wheaties Box Finale
In honor of its 100th anniversary, Wheaties is featuring decorated gymnast Simone Biles, widely regarded as one the greatest athletes of all time, as the finale box of its Century Series and year-long commemorative celebration.
Biles’s accomplishments include a record-breaking seven National All-Around titles, three consecutive and five overall World All-Around Titles, seven Olympic medals and pioneering four gymnastic skills named in her honor. But Biles is more than a gymnast, as she uses her platform to advocate for mental health reform and vigorously campaigns in support of efforts to provide education and assistance to children in the adoption and foster care systems.
The Wheaties year-long 100th anniversary celebration culminates with Biles’s historic first appearance on the iconic orange Wheaties box, now at retailers across the country. Like previous Century Series box athletes Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan before her, Biles will also appear on Gold Foil Box later this summer. These special collector’s boxes, available only at www.Shop.Wheaties.com, have previously sold out in as little as 30 minutes.
“Simone is so much more than an awe-inspiring gymnast – she’s an advocate, a teammate, a role model and the embodiment of both the future of sports and a Wheaties Champion,” said Kathy Dixon, senior brand experience manager for Wheaties. “We are so incredibly excited to be able to debut her very first Wheaties box as part of our 100th anniversary celebration and honor her alongside other legends like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.”
The partnership with Biles will also extend beyond the 100th anniversary boxes. Fans can find the latest updates on Instagram, or visit www.Shop.Wheaties.com, for the release date of the upcoming Gold Foil Box, as well as news about future Biles and Wheaties activities later this summer.
“I’m thrilled to appear on my first Wheaties box and so honored to be a part of the iconic brand’s 100th anniversary,” said Biles. “I appreciate this special recognition as I want to help continue to advance what it means to be a champion, and advocate for the things I believe in both on and off the mat.”
About the Century Box Series
Earlier this year, Wheaties announced the Century Box Series celebrating 100 years of the iconic brand, recognizing some of the most legendary athletes of our time. The series kicked off with none other than “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, commemorating the late boxer’s achievements in and out of the ring, followed by Michael Jordan’s unparalleled 19th appearance on a Wheaties box.
To celebrate the centennial, Wheaties is paying homage to the athletes that continue to inspire future generations. For this momentous celebration, Wheaties is honoring trailblazing sports icons and their stories of accomplishments on and off the court. The athletes featured in the commemorative series are those who transcend sports and decades as the brand looks to its next 100 years.
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IRI New Product Pacesetters: Innovation Drives CPG Growth Despite the Pandemic
The unpredictability of the pandemic made the work of manufacturers even more difficult than in 2020, as COVID-19 and the resultant behavior of shoppers ebbed and flowed during 2021, according to IRI’s 2021 New Product Pacesetters report.
Despite this and other challenges, this year’s New Product Pacesetters delivered an impressive $6 billion in aggregate Year 1 sales across food and beverage and nonfood products. Six of the top 10 Pacesetters in food and beverage included bubbles, in both alcohol and non-alcohol categories reflecting consumers’ desires to socialize at home. Among nonfoods, top Pacesetters reflect the importance of a clean home and healthy body.
“This year’s New Product Pacesetters successfully ran the gauntlet of powering through a pandemic that first caused people to hunker down at home, and then start socializing in public again, only to hunker down again late in the year,” said Joan Driggs, vice president, Content and Thought Leadership, IRI. “COVID-19 generated trends that both helped and hindered growth trajectories. In-home stockups eased from 2020 levels, while concurrently, interest in new products representing beverages, frozen convenience foods, household goods and self-care resulted in healthy growth.”
The Top 10 Food and Beverage New Product Pacesetters for 2021 are:
Dr Pepper & Cream Soda- AHA Sparkling Water
- Corona Hard Seltzer
- High Noon Sun Sips
- Oatly
- Truly Iced Tea
- Michelob ULTRA Organic Seltzer
- Impossible Burger
- LIFE CUISINE
- Minute Maid Zero Sugar
Seeking Bubbles and Fighting Germs Dominate Consumer Behavior
New alcohol and non-alcohol beverages with a new variety of flavors and combinations encouraged consumers to explore. Variety packs in hard seltzers both made entertaining at home more interesting as well as gave brands an opportunity to test new flavors by promoting trial. Hard seltzers and premixed cocktails represented four of the top 10 Pacesetters. On the non-alcohol side, Dr Pepper & Cream Soda and Coca-Cola’s AHA sparkling water captured the Pacesetters’ No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively.
During 2021, our data indicates that consumers juggled at-home and out-of-the-home work and school as the pandemic evolved. Several coffee and tea products performed well to keep people’s energy up, including Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew, which brings coffeehouse quality home, notched at No. 29. Rounding out the top 50 are Kitu Super Coffee at No. 30, Dunkin’ Multi-Serve Iced Coffee at No. 47, and Tazo ready-to-drink iced tea at No. 50.
Innovation Thrives Among Manufacturers Two Years into COVID-19
Analyzing trends among New Product Pacesetter products is especially important since they typically comprise just 1% of total CPG dollar sales but are responsible for a very significant one-third of growth year over year. In 2021, Pacesetters accounted for 44% of total store growth with similar contribution from food and beverage and nonfood innovation, despite challenges ranging from supply chain issues to store space allocation and unpredictable demand.
Pacesetters’ first-year revenues mostly held steady with previous years, despite limited promotional activity. The median dollar sales of food and beverage products in this year’s Pacesetters was $20 million, slightly under 2020 Pacesetters, but equivalent to 2019. Among nonfoods, median dollar sales totaled $17 million, the highest since 2017 New Product Pacesetters.
Large CPG companies, defined as those with over $6 billion in revenues, led in total dollar sales of Pacesetters products with 47%. Medium companies, those with $1 billion to $6 billion in sales, remained solid contributors, accounting for 27% of total dollar sales. Small companies, those with $100 million to $1 billion in sales, gained ground with 15% of total dollar sales, an increase over 2020.
Identifying and Retaining High-Value Consumers Remains Critical
IRI data indicate that consumers are eager to explore new flavors in food and beverage, in large part to make their at-home cooking experiences easier and more exciting. Despite an easing of the pandemic, approximately 80% of meals are made at home versus 48% pre-pandemic. New food and beverage products with unique flavors help “spice up” the at-home experience.
“Early adopters” are an important group with which manufacturers need to engage. They represent 27% of consumers, and 93% of that group consider themselves “avid early adopters.” These groups actively seek out the latest and greatest new products, according to IRI’s New Products Survey.
“Early adopters drove outsized sales of Pacesetter products, but supply chain problems brought on by the pandemic pushed more shoppers to reach for something new: 22% stated they looked for new products only if their usual product was unavailable, up 3 percentage points from 2021,” said Lisa Maas, principal, Innovation at IRI.
While 39% of surveyed consumers state they rely on recipes, the percentage of promotional activity around new products via recipes is down. Among avid early adopters, 55% report suggested recipes are an avenue to new products. Sixty-eight percent of these consumers consider shopper loyalty programs when making purchase decisions, compared with 54% of the total population.
Avid early adopters of new CPG products are also often avid early adopters of technology. Among this group, 26% look at pop-up ads and half report using smartphone apps. Engagement is significantly higher than with the general population and has been consistently strong in recent years.
Sustainability Remains a Key Success Ingredient
Sustainability is an attribute that impacts both food and beverage and nonfood categories. Oatly and Impossible Burger earned the No. 5 and No. 8 spots, respectively, in food and beverage, while Hello Bello baby products earned the No. 4 nonfood spot, followed by The Honey Pot Company feminine products notched at No. 17 and Huggies Pull-Ups New Leaf at No. 22.
Sustainability has grown to include a wider range of attributes, such as carbon footprint and water conservation. It has also grown as an increasingly important decision factor among consumers. Innovators should recognize the value of sustainability and how it contributes to a consumer’s overall impression of a product, brand and manufacturer.
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Lightlife Foods Promotes New ‘Lightyear’ Film
Greenleaf Foods, SPC, owner of plant-based food company Lightlife, announced today a blockbuster collaboration with Disney and Pixar. As part of the promotion of the upcoming film, “Lightyear,” Lightlife, Disney and Pixar are teaming up to celebrate the magic of legendary character Buzz Lightyear off the screen and in the kitchen.
Nostalgic fans of Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story” will soon spot its beloved Space Ranger on retail shelves at Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Target, Albertsons and others across the nation. As part of its sponsorship of “Lightyear,” several Lightlife items will feature new “Lightyear”-inspired packaging, including Lightlife Smart Dogs – the number-one selling plant-based hot dog in America. Lightlife Smart Bacon, Lightlife Original Tempeh, Lightlife Plant-Based Burger, and Lightlife Breakfast Patties and Links also received a packaging refresh in alliance with the new film.
“Our collaboration with Disney and Pixar marks the largest brand collaboration in Lightlife history and we are extremely proud to be the exclusive plant-based sponsor of a film whose fan base spans generations,” said Adam Grogan, President of Greenleaf Foods, SPC. “We are excited for Lightlife’s family-friendly plant-based products to join forces with Disney and Pixar’s film release this summer.”
In honor of the “Lightyear” debut, Lightlife is inviting fans to blast off into the kitchen to enjoy delicious plant-based recipes like Cosmic Chili Dogs, Buzz Breakfast Burrito and savory Morning Moonrock Muffins. The brand will also host a sweepstakes promotion with a chance to win dozens of prize packages, including a private film screening and Disney merchandise.
A sci-fi action adventure and origin story of Buzz Lightyear, “Lightyear” opens in theaters on June 17 and follows the heroic Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and his robot companion Sox.
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