BY JENNA DUNCAN
Earlier this year, Jelly Belly added a mix of off-the-wall flavors, Jelly Belly BeanBoozled, to its lineup of products. BeanBoozled flavor packs were designed to keep Jelly Belly fans guessing about what taste a familiar color might have.
The Jelly Belly BeanBoozled beans were made to look exactly like such popular Jelly Belly flavors as
BRAND
CATEGORY TOTAL
STARBURST
PRIVATE LABEL
SKITTLES
JELLY BELLY
SOUR PATCH KIDS
JARET SWEDISH FISH
JUST BORN MIKE & IKE
REESES PIECES
LIFESAVERS GUMMIES
JOLLY RANCHER CHEWY CANDY
PERCENT SALES*
CHANGE
$182.5 9.97% 24. 6 14. 1 24. 3 24. 4 13. 4 18. 3 9. 9 9. 6 6. 6 25. 7 6. 4 11. 5 6. 1 21. 1 5.0 4. 3 4. 9 – 11. 6 4. 6 44. 9
* in millions Source: Information Resources Inc. for the 52 weeks ended June 6, 2008, for food, drug and mass, excluding Wal-Mart
buttered popcorn, pear and banana. But each color is tainted with an alternative flavor in the same package. For example instead of buttered popcorn, some of the yellow speckled beans might taste like rotten eggs, some of the green pear beans could be flavored like “boogers” and the brown and yellowed speckled banana look-alikes could be flavored like pencil shavings.
Ten of the original Jelly Belly color/flavor configurations are mixed into the package with 10 types of the off-kilter new BeanBoozled beans.
On the Bean-Boozled Web page there are icons of such things as a black pepper cracker, a skunk and a toothbrush to give hints about what some of the new flavors might be.
“The black licorice bean looks exactly like the skunk spray bean! Sweet, luscious caramel corn might also be moldy cheese. You may think you’re tasting our world-famous buttered popcorn bean, but what you’ll be biting into could actually be rotten egg. The only way to find out what beans you’re getting is to eat them!” Jelly Belly posted on its Web site, www.jellybelly.com.
Jelly Belly’s launch of BeanBoozled earlier this year did not immediately take off. However, there has been much Web blogging and buzz on fan sites about the oddball new beans. Jelly Belly is giving BeanBoozled another boost with the recent update to its Web site.
BY ANTOINETTE ALEXANDER Men’s hair care
Boomer men want to look younger, or do they?
While there are some men who are going under the knife, lathering on cosmeceuticals and eradicating every gray hair in an effort to retain their youth, there are others who don’t mind showing some of their age. In fact, some boomer men may not look at it as growing old but rather as entering a new life stage defined by wisdom and vitality.
Looking to tap into the latter segment, the makers of Just for Men, Combe Inc., have launched Touch of Gray, the first gradual hair treatment geared toward the boomer men who like the respect that their gray hair gives them, but want to reduce the amount.
In addition to allowing men to control the amount of gray in their hair, the product is easy to use. It is designed to be as easy as combing hair. The comb-in gel treatment stays on for just five minutes, and if it is left on longer, it will not turn the hair darker with more time. The easy application is important to this consumer segment, as men tend to like quick and easy solutions.
The product is available in five shades: light brown/gray, medium brown/gray, dark brown/gray, black/gray and jet black/gray.
Those men who were hesitant to use an at-home
BRAND
PERCENT SALES*
CHANGE
$1,043.2 -0.9%
109. 4 - 5. 1 99. 5 -0.3 89. 7 3. 4 86. 8 6.0 75. 1 -0.4 75.0 19.0 68. 9 6. 6 68. 9 1. 4 40.0 - 10. 6 32. 3 7. 6 1. 5 N/A
CATEGORY TOTAL
L’ORÉAL SUPERIOR PREFERENCE
L’ORÉAL EXCELLENCE
JUST FOR MEN
CLAIROL NICE N EASY
CLAIROL NATURAL INSTINCTS
REVLON COLORSILK
GARNIER NUTRISSE
L’ORÉAL FERIA
L’ORÉAL NATURAL MATCH
CLAIROL NICE ‘N EASY ROOT TOUCH UP
… JUST FOR MEN TOUCH OF GRAY
* in millions
** does not reflect actual sales rank
Source: Information Resources Inc. for the 52 weeks ended May 18, 2008, for food, drug and mass, excluding Wal-Mart
hair-coloring product because they were concerned about its ease of use and authentic look may be more inclined to try this gradual hair treatment and, in turn, bolster category sales, which are slightly down year-over-year for the most recent 52-week period, according to Information Resources Inc.
References:
Archives