The Otis Spunkmeyer 4-oz. cookies baked in Alsip, Ill., serve the c-store and grab-and-go markets.
One brand for all
Otis Spunkmeyer prides itself on being a brand that targets just about everybody. In fact, its tagline reads: “Only for everyone.” And despite today’s push for health and wellness, everyone is snacking, and everyone still loves cookies.
Better-for-you baked goods may be in high demand, but indulgences still exist. The difference is that today’s educated consumers know much more about their food, and they need to reconcile the need for health and the desire for indulgence. They’re looking for permission.
This is why Otis Spunkmeyer’s No Funky Stuff foods resonate so well. An individually packaged Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chunk cookie, Mini Muffin or Iced Lemon loaf cake, labeled with the No Funky Stuff promise, is the intersection where snacking, portability, treats and better-for-you eating converge.
“We are serving a generation of very educated consumers,” Mr. Davis said. “They’re food-savvy, and they’re coming at us with some pretty decent expectations.”
Face it, foods like snack cakes and chocolate chunk cookies are hardly considered healthy snacks. “These are sweet goods; I’m not trying to claim this is a health food. But this is an indulgence you can feel better about. And we’ve tapped into transparency; that’s the key word,” Mr. Davis explained. He noted that to play in the “better snacking choices” space, Otis Spunkmeyer has shrunk and individualized some of its items for better grab-and-go options to capture the snacking segment and c-store channels.
Taking an iconic brand already leading in the foodservice arena and bringing it directly to consumers was a no-brainer. “We got a lot of communication from consumers who said, ‘I remember you as a kid, but where do I find you?’ They didn’t know how to get our foods. The fact that we’re getting into more channels where consumers can find us with such a nostalgic brand is extremely exciting,” Mr. Davis said.
The sweet goods category is one that’s less than quiet, but Otis Spunkmeyer is bringing the noise. “There’s a lot of competition in sweet goods, with brands that have been around as long as — or longer than — we have,” said Ann Kim, vice-president, brand strategy, who noted that it’s a category that can often be difficult for consumers to navigate.
“Our team at Otis Spunkmeyer is filled with some of the best in the business,” she said. “We work to create delicious foods that people want to eat. And we do this in a way that differentiates us by using better ingredients that result in great-tasting treats.”
