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Is China's Oreo Really an Oreo?

YumSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:45:06 -0700

If you're ever in China and have a strange craving for an Oreo cookie, you're going to be out of luck. According to the Wall Street Journal, back in 2005 Kraft Foods revamped its iconic cookie there, replacing it with four thin crispy wafers, a layer of vanilla cream, thin layers of chocolate cream, and a coating of chocolate. The Chinese weren't keen on eating the traditional biscuit-style cookies, so Kraft — after testing 20 prototypes on consumers — changed the cookie to appeal to the masses.

Before the cookie transformation, Kraft Foods tried to reach out to consumers by creating a brand ambassador program that equipped university students with free Oreos and bicycles clad in wheel covers that looked like Oreos. However these marketing schemes didn't work, and the change became necessary. Now, with the new wafer version, China's Oreo sales have doubled in the last two years.

All of this is totally fascinating to me. It's interesting to see what brands have to do in order to appeal to foreign consumers. I understand adding new flavors and names. But does changing the product completely actually count? Isn't it, at that point, a completely new product? What do you think? Is it still an Oreo even if it doesn't look like a real one?

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Happy Hour: Pink Port

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:29:31 -0800

British retail giant Marks & Spencer has just launched a pink port intended to appeal to women. The wine, which is unimaginatively called Pink Port, is lighter in hue than regular port because it takes a small amount of color from the grape skins. They've decided to test this product out because many folks associate port as a man's drink — much like they wrongly assume whiskey and bourbon are for men only.

I'll admit, I'm drawn to things by their packaging, so I'm sure this would have grabbed my interest. However, unfortunately, according to Guy Woodward, editor of Decanter magazine, the wine's not worth it. He believes it was more like vodka cranberry than port and said:

I suspect they're trying to jump on the rosé bandwagon, but it tastes worryingly close to the alcopop market.

It's a bummer to hear that port marketed towards women is inferior to regular port. Do they think we won't notice if it's bad? What do you guys think? Do you think we even need our own port?

Source

Is Your Beer Cold Enough? Check The Label

YumSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:22:20 -0700

In order to help folks across the nation "stop suffering from warm beer syndrome," the Coors Brewing Company is launching a new Cold Activated Bottle. According to research by Coors Light, consumers want to know when their beer is at optimum temperature. To help them out, Coors designed a label that will turn from white to blue when at the perfect temperature. The bottles will be hitting shelves at participating stores, restaurants and bars. I like to think of it as hypercolor for a beer bottle, how about you?

Source: PR Newswire
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A Taste of Rome

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:24:56 -0800

Leave it to the folks over at the premium cable channels to come up with another fun marketing campaign. This time HBO has graced 100 Italian restaurants in LA, NY and Chicago with bottles of Rome wine. The cabernet sauvingnon, which is bottled in California, will be offered free to patrons. Each table will have a card that states:

And our house wine tonight is brought to you by HBO. A taste of 'Rome' awaits you. Ask server for details.

I'm not sure what the entire marketing strategy is, but I wonder if it will cause as much buzz as rival Showtime's clever Weeds brownie promotion.

Source: Ad Age