Baking & Snack - October 2020 - 34

Cookie manufacturers are getting creative with
choices ranging from ingredients to pack sizes, sometimes making indulgent permissible. For example,
Ms. Lyons Wyatt said, an indulgent cookie can
be placed in a single-serve package with the
calories on the front panel. By seeing that
the calorie count is within a permissible
range, shoppers buy, consume and enjoy.
Co-branding has also played a big role
in cookie sale growth. By cobranding, offering limited-time offerings, or "retro"
flavors, cookie manufacturers can keep
surprising customers and entice them back
for repeat purchases.
Mondelez International, Deerfield, Ill., and its
Oreo brand are leading the charge in this category. It
released flavors like Limeade, Watermelon, Root Beer
Float, Tiramisu, Carrot Cake this summer. Its crossovers included a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreo.
Premium flavors like dark chocolate and coffee are
also trending, recreating the café or donut shop experience through a cookie.
Campbell Snacks, Camden, NJ, and its Pepperidge
Farm brand launched Milano Caramel Macchiato
Cookies, which use kosher-certified dairy ingredients
with no preservatives.
Too Good Gourmet, San Lorenzo, Calif., rolled out
Cinnamon Roll Iced Donut Cookies that are soft, loaded
with white chocolate chips and glazed with sweet icing
in a 170-gram plastic packet in a carton box.
Formats like carton boxes, mini bite-size cookies in
single-use packages or large sleeves, combined with
premium indulgent flavors, create a plethora of options for consumers to target cookies for a fun snack,
no matter the time of day.

Mission accomplished
To continue positive dollar growth in the category,
Ms. Lyons Wyatt said, bakers should ensure they have
strategies in place in four areas: consumer behavior, retail relevance, e-commerce and media exposure. This
will help cookie manufacturers accomplish their goals
in today's unpredictable market.
Consumer behavior is always evolving, and the market has seen unprecedented levels of new, lapsed and atrisk buyers creating risks and opportunities for brands.
"Manufacturers and retailers need to put efforts in
place to retain consumers before the opportunity is lost,"
Ms. Lyons Wyatt advised.
To remain relevant in retail, she suggested that cookie
manufacturers remain flexible and move fast.
"Retailers have needed to invest in different shopper models like delivery and click and collect while ad-

34 Baking & Snack October 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

dressing space and inventory challenges," she continued.
"Now they're faced with managing assortment and merchandising decisions at the store level to meet the needs
of economically bifurcated consumers."
E-commerce plays a huge role in dollar sales in the
digital age, as well as in retail relevance. Ms. Lyons Wyatt
said she sees many bakers falling behind in e-commerce
sales because they are not capitalizing on the growth of
this channel.
"We have seen explosive growth in e-commerce, grocery and discount channels due to shoppers seeking safer options and reducing trips along with a shift toward
value brands for some consumers," she added.
Finally, every brand needs media exposure. And never before have more people been stuck at home looking
at their TV or computer screens.
"The limited return of live sports and increased time
at home has resulted in a significant increase in TV and
social media consumption, which has created more advertising opportunities," she said. "Therefore, given the
highly volatile environment, messaging needs to stay current in an environment that can shift from week to week."

BY DISGUISING HEALTHY
INGREDIENTS IN A COOKIE,
CONSUMERS CAN FEEL
GOOD ABOUT BEING BAD.
The Girl Scouts of America, New York, launched a
strategy with its new online platform, Girl Scouts Care
to target those at-home consumers. It enables people
to safely order cookies for home delivery or to donate
cookies to first responders, volunteers and local causes.
Meanwhile, Keebler is taking relevance to a new level, serving as a model for other traditional brands. The
classic cookies removed high-fructose corn syrup and
switched to natural vanilla to increase its permissible
appeal. At the same time, new packaging was developed
to increase quality and freshness, featuring modern and
unifying designs across the Keebler cookie brands. The
products will be available in an on-the-go format and
variety packs to meet consumer snacking behaviors.
And finally, Ernie the elf is going on a media blitz. A
comprehensive marketing campaign launched in August
highlights all the changes to the brand in all digital and
social channels, in addition to in-store displays.
Indulgent cookies remain the most-wanted treat, but new forms of better-foryou varieties are exploding onto the market.
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