Dive Brief:

• Chobani introduced a line of children’s clothing and other merchandise to celebrate Chobani Gimmies, its line of Greek yogurt snacks for kids, according to the company’s website. 
• The company is hosting "swag drops" every day from March 4-17 at noon EST, and fans can follow the brand on Instagram @chobani and join its mailing list to find out about the drops and enter to win the items.
• The line includes a bean bag chair, onesies, hoodies, jewelry, jean jackets with patches and more, according to Adweek. Chobani created a cast of characters to represent different Gimmies flavors, including a couple of "crazy cherries" to represent the Cherry Set Go product, and a roller-skating ice cream cone for the Rainbow Sprinkle Cone flavor. These characters are featured in the new merchandise. 

Dive Insight:

Chobani Gimmies launched last year, and the company is hoping to generate buzz for the product and ultimately drive sales by hosting swag drops and giveaways on its website and Instagram. Chobani also sent products to select social media influencers to drum up excitement, according to Adweek. The approach appears to be working, as most items have so far been snapped up within just a few minutes of being unveiled on Instagram. 

The brand says the campaign was inspired by "kid-centered workshops," where youngsters discussed their desire to be unique among their friends, leading Chobani to focus on individuality when developing the Gimmies characters and designing the swag so that it’s not overly branded, according to Adweek. While creating unique, branded merchandise is a trend more brands are embracing, it also aligns with Chobani’s in-house creative strategy, which has allowed more streamlined campaign testing and refining of its brand vision during the production process. 

By encouraging consumers to sign up for the brand’s email list, Chobani will be able to better connect with its biggest fans and provide more personalized experiences. The brand can also gauge consumer interest in e-commerce, as it strives to compete with Amazon’s growth into online grocery shopping. Millennials are driving the interest in online grocery shopping, with 43% saying they "occasionally" or "fairly often" shop for groceries online, according to the Food Marketing Institute. The number jumps to 58% for millennial parents, who likely make up a large portion of Chobani’s target audience. 

Chobani leads the Greek yogurt segment, with 40% of the market. The U.S. yogurt market is valued at about $8.5 billion, according to the company. Only about $1.5 billion of that goes to kids, and Nielsen estimated that 78% of adults consume yogurt compared to about 25% of children.