In the opening quarter of 2020, private market funding for young companies in the beauty and personal care space fell by more than 50% compared to the previous quarter, according to a new report from market intelligence firm CB Insights. The category, which includes cosmetics and men’s grooming, raised a total of $103 million–the lowest…
Ever since it became an official holiday after the Civil War, Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) has set the stage for parades, wreath laying, fireworks and any number of other events to commemorate the sacrifices made by Americans in the armed forces. Probably for about as long, Memorial Day has also been an opportunity…
Budweiser has been tapping into nostalgia for its ads during quarantine, and now the beer brand is extending that theme to music. The AB InBev brand has debuted Budweiser Rewind, an interactive live music series in which artists perform their greatest hits and share stories their fans haven’t heard before. The brand kicked off the…
Temperatures are rising. Memorial Day is around the corner. Cool summer cocktails on a lazy afternoon feel just a moment away. With states opening up again, Edgewell Personal Care is increasingly optimistic about its ability to move its seasonal grooming products despite the pandemic being anything but a distant memory. “As we assess consumer demand…
For many Americans, video games were already a major pastime. Stay-at-home orders during the Covid-19 pandemic have created even more time to play. In the first quarter of 2020, total consumer spending on the video game industry, including console, mobile and PC platforms, climbed 9% to a record $10.86 billion, according to figures from NPD…
During these turbulent times, 20% of shoppers have left their primary grocery store in favor of another, according to new survey data from McKinsey & Co. Not only that, but 37% of those who’ve made the switch expect to remain loyal to the new retailer after the crisis ends. The main reasons people stopped shopping…
A new Chipotle-inspired prom makeup kit by e.l.f. Cosmetics is the result of an unusual but clever mashup with the fast-casual chain, and sold out in mere minutes Thursday, CMO Kory Marchisotto told Adweek. The cosmetics and skincare company also launched a line of full-spectrum CBD skincare products this week to appeal to shoppers’ heightened…
Pantry stockpiling during the pandemic aside, numbers suggest that consumers have been approaching their fill of Big Soda for a few years now. Between 2015 and 2019, annual sales of carbonated beverages grew 3.6%, from $27.7 billion to $28.7 billion, according to data from market research firm IRI. Throughout the same time period, the bottled…
Dairy brand Land O’Lakes is hardly alone in using a cultural stereotype as a mascot for generations–and it’s also not alone in its reluctance to speak publicly about it. Take, for example, Miss Chiquita, which became the face of the banana brand in 1944 and was transformed into a “vibrant Latin woman” in 1987. (Chiquita…
Mascots help personify brands and serve as recognizable ambassadors on store shelves. But what happens when those brand faces have a troubled history? Land O’Lakes is a good example: In April, the brand quietly dropped the indigenous woman on its packaging in advance of its 100th anniversary. Mascots have been pulled in the past: Corn…
The Covid-19 pandemic has been great for some companies, and catastrophic for others. That’s even the case within specific industries, as individual businesses encounter financial tailwinds or headwinds depending on their position. That’s certainly what’s happening to the alcohol industry, which appears to be splitting into two camps. Retail, DTC and delivery services are benefiting,…
With more people shopping for groceries online–as well as seeking comfort in big-name brands they know and trust–the timing couldn’t be better for PepsiCo to make its move into DTC. The sites PantryShop.com and Snacks.com, which debuted Monday after progressing from concept to completion in under a month, are the company’s first major attempts at…
Move over, boring, normal-sized flakes, pops, loops and clusters: Kellogg’s Jumbo Snax are the newer, bigger and bolder cereal treat. The Michigan-based food manufacturing company has blasted a giant ray at four of its iconic breakfast staples–Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and Frosted Flakes–enlarging them into super-sized bites. Instead of being perfectly suited for…
PepsiCo today launched two ecommerce websites that provide direct-to-consumer options for its dozens of packaged goods brands, such as Frito-Lay, Quaker, Muscle Milk, Gatorade, Hilo Life and more. With more consumers turning to online ordering to avoid going to stores during the Covid-19 pandemic, PepsiCo wanted to “offer shoppers another alternative for easy and fast…
Grocery stores may be open to put products into the hands of consumers, but for CPG manufacturers, one of their most effective marketing tactics has been temporarily cut off: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the practice of in-store food sampling is on pause. “Overnight, in most instances, we shut down our business operations,” said Andrea…
High-octane sports typically go hand in hand with caffeinated dudes downing energy drinks to enhance their performance. Case in point: Category leaders Red Bull and Monster Energy posted videos on their respective social channels of quarantined athletes riding minibikes around their homes. It might not be this way for long, though. As the energy drink…
The decision by dairy brand Land O’Lakes to eliminate the kneeling Native American woman offering up sticks of butter on its logo marks the end of a problematic mascot with a nearly 100-year history. As of April 30, she–who, by some accounts, was named Mia–is still featured on products on the website. Land O’Lakes said…
Present times are bleak–even more reason to embrace rare moments of pure joy. A new 60-second spot from online pet product retailer Chewy, which will live on the company’s various social channels, aims to celebrate all the happiness and levity that comes from owning a pet. Titled “Pets Bring Us Together,” the clip was produced…
As businesses begin to reopen in China and life slowly returns to its streets, the retail industry in the U.S. may look to the country for guidance on what the post-pandemic world looks like and how to adapt to the new reality. That’s because the pattern of Chinese consumers’ purchasing habits in response to Covid-19…
Any company looking to start a new food-based CPG brand aimed at today’s millennial shoppers would likely try to leverage the following attributes: authenticity, portability, wholesome ingredients and a business structure that supports local farmers. If it were possible to infuse a new brand with an aura of nostalgia, they’d probably do that, too. Sun-Maid,…
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