Dried soup branches out with texture and flavour innovation
The latest innovation insight from Gama Compass™
MANCHESTER – 7th January 2016: For the first innovation focus of 2016, we look at a product launch that aims to breathe new life into the instant soup category through a “premium” offering that highlights the benefits of satiety, texture and flavour – Batchelors Cup A Soup Deliciously Thick Instant Soup.
Promoted as being “perfect for lunchtime”, Batchelors Cup A Soup Deliciously Thick Instant Soup from Premier Foods in the UK has been developed with the stated intention of “changing shoppers’ perceptions” of dried soup, by using reworked formulations and marketing to place the emphasis on taste, functionality and product quality. As the brand implies, the new line invokes both the notion of 'thick' – offering a richer texture that is also “more substantial and filling” – and that of 'delicious', featuring “intense flavours inspired by tastes from around the world”, including varieties with names such as Thai Inspired Chicken & Sweet Potato and Southern Style Pulled Pork. The line is designed to lure back lapsed consumers of dried soup who, according to Premier Foods, have tended to shift away to chilled soups and other ‘fresh’ lunchtime snacks, as well as to boost appeal among millenials, identified by the company as a consumer group in which instant soup currently “underperforms”.
Batchelors Cup A Soup Deliciously Thick Instant Soup underlines the challenge facing many producers of traditional preserved and dried foods, especially in categories directly rivalled by refrigerated products that are seen as ‘fresher’, better tasting, higher quality and more varied in their offer. Premier Foods’ latest launch suggests how, even in these more traditional categories, judicious reformulations and creative marketing can help reengage consumers, underscoring qualities increasingly demanded by younger target groups including textural variety, functional benefits, and bolder, more modern flavours.
Image source: Premier Foods (via Talking Retail)
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