Size Matters Not

Another entry targeting the school-age crowd, Little Snapple puts several of Snapple Beverage's (White Plains, N.Y.) mostly kid-friendly flavors in a smaller package.

The eight-ounce plastic bottles feature four of the company's best-selling flavors: Snapple Apple, fruit punch, kiwi strawberry and lemon iced tea. Unlike the Swerve offering, the Little Snapples can be found in local grocery stores or mass merchandisers.

Though the products clearly aim for the younger crowd, they do so by offering a product enjoyed by their older counterparts. As explained by Maura Mottolese, vice president of Marketing with Snapple Beverage Group, "Snapple in an eight-ounce plastic bottle is perfect for kids and pre-teens who wish they could be drinking the same products as their parents and older brothers and sisters."

While They're Young

The first nationally available milk beverage from the Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta) has made its way into schools. Swerve is a smooth, milk-based beverage in three flavors: chocolate; “Vanana,” a combination of vanilla and banana flavors; and “Bloo,” a blend of blueberry and strawberry flavors.

Perhaps most unique about Coke's Swerve is its availability—solely in the school channel. It can be found only in middle and high schools, so the product is exclusive to 11- to 19-year-olds.

Available in 11-ounce cans, Swerve is made with non-fat milk. Furthermore, it provides 30% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of calcium, and vitamins D, A and C. Coke also assures that eight ounces of the flavored milk is lower in fat, calories and sugar than most leading milk brands.

Just the Stax

Frito-Lay, the “fun foods” division of PepsiCo Inc. (Purchase, N.Y.), recently launched Lay's Stax potato crisps. Perhaps most striking about these snacks is their similarity to a popular, well-established line of similar products. Frito-Lay's crisps promise to combine the taste of Lay's potato chips with the convenient portability of the Stax canister. The company also touts the unique shape of the Stax crisps, making them “great for dipping.”

Lay's Stax are available in four flavors: original, sour cream & onion, barbecue and cheddar. Original is found in six-ounce canisters, though the others provide 5-3/4 ounces. Lay's Stax add to Frito-Lay's offerings with zero grams of trans fat; honestly, this is the only element of Stax drastically different from Pringles, their clear inspiration.

Campbell Soup Company (Camden, N.J.) has launched a new advertising campaign that is revolutionary for the company. For the first time, Campbell has utilized a single theme and spokesperson to link all promotional elements for its soup brands. Previous marketing efforts for Campbell's Chunky and Campbell's Select had been developed and executed separately.

Plans call for more than 30 different commercials to debut during the upcoming soup season, as Campbell's seeks to “reconnect its soup brands with today's diverse consumer population,” says the company.

The reality-based advertising campaign will have a single theme: “Make it Campbell's Instead.” It is intended to support all Campbell's brands, including its condensed soups, the “M'm! M'm! Good! To Go” line, and the Chunky and Select lines of ready-to-serve soups.