Dive Brief:
- Conagra Brands' Bigs Sunflower Seeds partnered with Taco Bell on a new flavor of sunflower seeds, Bigs Taco Bell Taco Supreme, per a news release.
- Bigs is launching an integrated marketing campaign to promote the product that includes social media, digital video, sampling at events and an online giveaway for a free bag. In a video announcing the new product, drones carry packs to cities and towns across the country before dropping one on the home plate of a baseball field.
- The flavor will debut at retailers this month and join Bigs' growing collection of co-branded flavor collaborations, including with Hidden Valley Ranch, Old Bay Seasoned, Vlasic Dill Pickle and Tapatío Chile Limón. The company started working with Taco Bell on the spicy sunflower seed collaboration last year.
Dive Insight:
Bigs and Taco Bell are looking to tap into a growing consumer interest in drone technology to introduce their newest collaboration with creative fanfare. The campaign promoting the sunflower seeds flavor also comes right as baseball season is kicking into full swing, which might draw additional interest from fans of the sport where the snack remains incredibly popular.
Bigs working with Taco Bell as a brand partner might help it reach younger sets of consumers like millennials and Gen Z that are fans of the fast-food chain. Millennials, in particular, are also heavy snackers, with 92% reporting eating snacks in place of one of their meals at least once a week, according to a study by Welch's Global Ingredients Group and Surveygoo.
The Taco Bell-Bigs matchup also fits into a growing consumer preference for exotic, bold flavors, a trend also driven by millennials and Hispanic and Asian segments, per Food Dive. Taco Bell, for its part, has seen success with a number of co-branded items, including Doritos Locos Tacos — now a staple of its menu — and Kit Kat Chocoladillas.
