The sweetener in the little blue packs is about to make an appearance in the candy aisle.
Chicago-based Merisant Co., maker of Equal sweetener, struck a deal with confectionery manufacturer Simply Lite Foods Corp. to develop a new line of sugar-free candy carrying the Equal name.
The line of candies, branded Perfect Pleasures, is the first extension of the Equal name since it was launched 20 years ago.
Four separate candies–Intense Fruits, Chocolate Cremes, Caramel Cremes and Mint Trio–will start hitting store shelves this spring.
The Chocolate and Caramel Cremes also mark the first time sugar-free candy will be available with a hard shell and a soft center.
As part of the deal, Commack, N.Y.-based Simply Lite, which has marketed Sweet’n Low-branded candies, is licensing the Equal name and will handle marketing of the candy line.
The move is the first major effort from Merisant, which purchased the sweetener business in 2000 from Monsanto for $570 million, to increase awareness via brand extension.
And company executives said they hope the candies will be followed by the extension of the Equal name into several other product categories. For now, executives are cautious as to how quickly new Equal products will roll out, but they are considering syrups, gums and even cookies.
“We have a great brand with a very high level of awareness,” said Ken Jones, senior vice president for Merisant. “What we wanted to do was take that brand and move it to other sections in the grocery store.”
Though still tiny, the so-called diet candy sector continues to grow as more players enter the category. Excluding sales data from Wal-Mart, the segment has grown to $74.6 million last year from $61.9 million in 1999, according to Information Resources Inc.
Russell Stover leads the category with roughly $22.1 million in sales.
Advertisng plans for Equal’s Perfect Pleasures line are still in the works, but look for an extensive freestanding insert launch in newspapers in the coming weeks. The company also will package free samples of the candy in 200-count boxes of Equal sweetener beginning late in the spring.
So what took so long for Equal to branch out? “It’s been a matter of focus,” Jones said. “We were focused on the table-top category. There is a renewed emphasis on growth.”
Accenture launches new campaign: If ever a company was glad about a name change, it has to be Accenture–the former consulting arm of Andersen that broke away before the Enron debacle surfaced. Company executives took a lot of heat for the Accenture name when they rolled it out last year, but now the decision looks brilliant. On Wednesday, the consulting company launched a new $70 million ad campaign from Young & Rubicam, New York, that focuses on how to help companies quickly deliver innovation. The campaign includes a heavy cable TV buy as well as business magazines.
“The campaign is a recognition that in this climate, companies are now being rewarded for quick innovation,” said Jim Murphy, Accenture’s head of marketing and communications.
Stoli gets a new look: Allied Domecq is giving Stolichnaya Russian Vodka an advertising overhaul. Breaking from BBDO Chicago in March magazines are new ads for the vodka brand that feature a butterfly made out of Stoli labels sitting on bright flowers. “What a rare species,” reads one line. “Stoli. See what unfolds” is the tag.
Brashear to leave Motorola: Rusty Brashear, 59, Motorola Inc.’s respected senior vice president of corporate communications, is retiring from the company. The former deputy press secretary in the Reagan administration, who joined Motorola in 1987, is being replaced by Janilee Johnson, corporate vice president of communications.
On the move: Paul Vanden Heuvel, formerly with Standard Bank in Evergreen Park, joined Lakeside Bank as vice president of marketing. … Marnie Kadish was promoted to senior media planner at Kelly, Scott and Madison.
Changes at Peninsula: Less than a year after its opening, the ultraluxury hotel The Peninsula Chicago is undergoing a management change. Taking over as general manager of the property beginning March 4 is native Chicagoan Maria Razumich-Zec, formerly general manager of The Palace in New York. Razumich-Zec has done management stints at both the Hilton Chicago & Towers and the Palmer House Hilton. She replaces Peter Finamore.
