Product Spotlight: Indulgence ... with a whisper of health

Convenience: Manufacturers are responding to consumers' hectic lifestyles by creating packaging that assists convenience. New plastic bottles have an hourglass shape and use brightly colored film over a white bottle to carry the marketing/ brand messages. The Creme Savers bottle very accurately reflects the brand identity of Life Savers spinoff Creme Savers, looking fresh and appealing.

Flavors: Flavorful and unique varieties of drinkable yogurt drive interest. They include berry flavors (cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cranberry), fruit flavors (peach, apple, pear, grape, banana, melon, watermelon) and cream combination flavors (orange & cream, peaches & cream, strawberry & cream). The difference between flavors for drinkable yogurts and juices (a potential competitive product) are the cream combination flavors. These flavors reflect more of the yogurt heritage.

What is going on in the marketplace? The drinkable yogurt category has experienced a great deal of growth. In 2002, drinkable yogurt was an up-and-coming category, ranked sixth among the fastest growing categories by Information Resources Inc. By 2003, drinkable yogurt sales doubled, growing the category to $32 million. The market leaders are Dannon's Frusion, Yoplait's Nouriche and Stonyfield Farms Smoothie Yogurt. With the drivers of familiarity, convenience, taste and health, Kraft set out to produce a good tasting beverage that could provide the health benefits of drinkable yogurt with a flavor profile that could fit a much larger set of consumers. For branding, Kraft looked within, pairing its Breyers yogurt brand with its candy brand of Creme Savers.

Healthfulness: Drinkable yogurt has both the halo of health and the reality of health. Key healthful attributes are calcium and the low level of fat. However, the calorie (190 for Creme Savers) and carbohydrate (28g of sugar) levels are quite high. While these numbers are better than those of Dannon Frusion (270 calories and 49g of sugar), they still make a consumer look at the label and ask: Do I really need this?

The experience

Creme Savers Smoothies are available in a 10-oz. container designed for holding and easy consumption. The price is $1.69 - $1.79. Flavors are orange, strawberry and peach. The bottle graphics accurately reflect the Creme Savers branding and lead one to think about an expected experience of fruit and creaminess, just like the popular candy.

The label is the color of the flavor and the swirled variation of cream. The package is marked "made with real Breyers lowfat yogurt." This burst gives the consumer some comfort that this will be a healthy beverage.

           
Aroma, flavor and texture are critical to the perception of quality in a drinkable yogurt. The aroma is recognizable creamy orange, not overly fruity, and so begins to set the experience that this is a creamy indulgent experience (not quite so healthy), much like the candy.

This product delivers a flavor and textural creaminess that is on the order of Creme Savers without the typical yogurt tang at the end. With the blending of the creme and fruit notes, the product shouts indulgence and taste. It whispers health.

All of our panels were surprised at the taste and said they would consume the entire bottle. In fact, some were concerned they would not be able to stop at just one. Some specifically appreciated the missing yogurt tang.