Invented in 1896, Cracker Jack was arguably the first junk food. It’s been inextricably linked to baseball and enshrined in songs, and eating it is a rite of passage during childhood.
Yet regular readers of this column will recall how disappointing the prizes have become. And I apologize for writing so often about brand extensions.
But these topics matter as we consider the brand extension called…wait for it…Cracker Jill.
No, I’m not kidding.
Introduced last year, Cracker Jill is really Cracker Jack in new packaging. This new hook is meant to increase sales while promoting women and girls in sports by partnering with the nonprofit Women’s Sports Foundation.
The I Am Cracker Jill contest gives $5,000 to eight finalists. One grand prize winner receives $5,000 and is featured on a Cracker Jill bag.
Five such bags are currently out and can be purchased at professional ballparks for a $5 donation to the foundation.
A modified version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” has been written to (hopefully) appeal to feminists, and Cracker Jack is donating $200,000 to the foundation.
What a guy!
Regardless of what you sell, you can take a lesson from this example. Because while I’m not a fan of everything corporate parent PepsiCo has done with Cracker Jack, I believe they set a good marketing example here by:
• Making a mature brand more relevant
• Tying in to current social trends
• Branding with real people
• Using a logical product name sure to stick in consumers’ minds
As we all know, you won’t make many sales without being known, liked and trusted. Cracker Jack is trying to leverage a history of checking all those boxes to move more product.
As you’re developing your marketing strategies for the next few marketing quarters, consider what’s going on in the world around you in search of ways to expand your own message, visibility and sales.
Because there are unquestionably countless opportunities that you can use to increase visibility, attention and sales with your customer base.
Conclusion: Even if your brand isn’t as iconic as Cracker Jack, you too can present a fresh face to the world and get customers singing about you during the seventh-inning stretch.
Now if they could just get back to having real prizes…
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
Get other great ideas at askmrmarketing.com.
