The 2024 National Confectioners Association’s Sweets and Snacks Expo wrapped up last month in Indianapolis.
Among numerous innovative new product launches, educational sessions, and an overall celebration of everything snack-related, three trends emerged:
- “Toyification” of snacks marketing;
- Emoting flavors;
- Widening snacking occasions beyond the traditional;
The marketing cycles of the toys and games industry have long been tied to entertainment franchises and film release schedules. This has not quite been the case for snacks which enjoy a more structured promotional calendar centered around holidays associated with confectionery consumption. However, a leading trend at the expo was the “toyification” of snacks marketing.
Continuous innovation in snacks is needed to prevent large category trade-off. The number of tracked new snack product launches in the US was up by 27% in Q1 2024 (vs Q1 2023) as innovation is now a prioritized strategy for snack manufacturers. Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey (January- February 2024) reveals that 38.6% of Americans enjoy trying new taste and food combinations, suggesting rising flavor combinations like “SWICY” (sweet and spicy mix) will be a hit. But beyond that, what was unique about the innovations and atmosphere at the Sweets and Snacks Expo 2024 was the introduction through marketing of the cultural meaning and emotions evoked by certain flavors.
Core holidays are key for confectionery sales in the US. For example, seasonal chocolate volumes have been performing better than non-seasonal chocolates for several years, due in part to a rebound in holiday gatherings following COVID-19 and the resilient value of treating during these times.
As with the trend towards creating more occasions through film and video game entertainment calendar releases, there is also a push to create and promote products catering specifically to smaller holidays like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day, St Patrick’s Day, and others that traditionally have not been big events for snacks. These also seek to increase consumer engagement for seasonal and celebratory occasions outside of the traditional calendar.
“Toyificated” marketing, emoted flavors, and expanded snack occasions are all strategies aimed to satisfy the social, emotional, and taste needs of consumers.
