From fairy floss-flavoured Twisties to Coca-Cola-flavoured Oreos, supermarkets are stocking a range of novelty food items. A marketing expert has unpacked why such products are so popular with brands and consumers.
According to Amanda Spry, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at RMIT, consumers are drawn to trendy flavours, even the ‘weird’ ones, for their nostalgic appeal and the novelty offered by familiar brands.
“People seek small moments of playfulness, fun and curiosity, especially in an affordable and easy way,” she says.
“Pistachio-flavoured food is the current trend after shooting to popularity with the viral rise of Dubai chocolate bars. This trend has filtered down to the masses via the interplay of consumers, brands and social media as an ecosystem. Go into your local shopping centre now and you’ll see pistachio Danishes at Bakers Delight and pistachio muesli bars in Woolworths.”
Ms Spry says brands can be both trendsetters and trendspotters and they will adapt products or create campaigns to participate in existing trends or even make it their own.
“Starbucks didn’t invent the pumpkin spice flavour, but it definitely defined it,” she says.
“Trending flavours will be limited editions or part of a seasonal drop, which are marketing tactics to encourage quick uptake and reinforce hype-driven consumer behaviour. This makes the items highly collectable too. If you have a strong affiliation and kinship with these brands, trying each edition is part of a ritual and signals your loyalty.”
