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Welcome to Fancy Food & Culinary Products' blog, your place to read reviews of the great fancy and gourmet products we find in the marketplace.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Retro Packaging Creates New Audience?

I got a press release a few days ago from Just Born Inc., the company that brings us the love'em-or-hate'em Peeps (I love'em -- I just can't help it), as well as candies like Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike and Peanut Chews. The big news is that they are reintroducing retro packaging for Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike and Peanut Chews.


From the press release:
Brian Bachrach, Senior Brand Manager, commented, “We are introducing these items with packaging designed to capture the spirit and personality of the brands across the decades. The vintage packaging elements tap into each brand’s history and consumers’ emotional connections with their favorite candies. We tested our new nostalgic items at Cracker Barrel locations nationwide in 2008. The response was tremendous and we are excited to make these packages available to more retailers and consumers.”

What I want to know is whether these products, in their new retro packaging (now there's an oxymoron...) are now appropriate for specialty store shelves where they might not have been before. By appealing to older consumers' sense of nostalgia and the appeal of all things vintage to those who aren't old enough to be truly nostalgic, has Just Born negotiated itself into a new category? What do you think?

-Stephanie