The current popularity of dirty sodas has given rise to a handful of collaborations in the last year or so, many involving fast food chains. Dirty sodas are soft drinks with the addition of flavored syrups or fruit juice; a splash of half-and-half, cream, or creamer; and sometimes garnishes such as fruit or candy. They […]
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Craving Celebrity-Quick Service Combos
The practice of quick-service restaurants teaming with celebrities, mostly from the realms of music, acting, and sports, began in earnest in about 2022, following occasional pairings in earlier decades, and intensified in 2023. That year, some pundits predicted the end of the trend ahead, as the examples piled up and the market seemingly became saturated. […]
Elevating the Fast-Food Drink Selection
Quick-service restaurants have long been at the forefront when it comes to creating offbeat novelty items to raise visibility for their brands and give something new to their loyal customers. One of the latest trends may also be one of the most unexpected: The pairing of fast food with wine. Such collaborations make a PR […]
Flavorful Pairings and Pours
Corporate food and restaurant brands have been jumping on the bandwagon—along with properties of all sorts—when it comes to collaborating on limited-edition wine varieties. In the most recent cases, the flavors of the branded foods are infused into the wine itself, usually in a subtle manner that is intended to taste good but is attention-getting […]
Counting Down the Days to Christmas
Advent calendars are getting more sophisticated each year, featuring increasingly elaborate packaging, daily surprises of higher value, and a growing range of themes and categories, from jerky, healing crystals, and nail polish to cat food, instant noodles, and wine. Licensors across property types have gotten into the game, typically either through in-house-produced examples or with […]
Out of the Fry Basket, Into the Fire
Forget about the chicken wars. Quick-service restaurant and retail food and beverage brands have recently been ordering up some tasty promotions and collaborations centering on a hot menu item: French fries. Some examples: In a widely reported pairing last week, Arby’s worked with craft distillery Tattersall to create a very limited run of two fry-flavored […]
Meal Kits: Reprieve or Turnaround?
Meal kits represent one consumer product segment that has benefitted from the stay-at-home orders in place during the last two months in the U.S. (and longer in some other regions) to stop the spread of COVID-19. Research has shown that this sector appeals to consumers, especially younger adults, at least in theory. Prior to the […]
In the Background
Since the coronavirus lockdown began, usage of video chat and teleconferencing apps has grown significantly as employees and consumers around the world utilize them to participate in virtual meetings, cocktail parties, trivia contests, and Easter and Passover celebrations. Zoom in particular has hit the mainstream in a big way, reporting a 151% increase in daily […]
An Opportunity for a Short Vacation
Pop-up travel destinations represent one form of experiential licensing that has been on the rise in 2019. These immersive initiatives, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few months, include pop-up hotel rooms, complete hotels, and rental homes: Hotel rooms. New York’s Club Wyndham Midtown 45 launched a themed room tied to […]
Seeking White Space in the Supermarket
Owners of food and restaurant properties have recently been looking beyond the most common brand-extension categories within the grocery store. They are lending their names to product sectors that not only make sense for their flavor profiles, but also have not been heavily licensed to date, meaning there is room for new brand entrants. For […]