pladis creates Jaffa cakes and doughnuts hybrid

pladis is introducing a first-to-market fusion of its bestselling McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes with the humble doughnut, to create McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts, helping retailers shake-up biscuit aisles.

The innovative NPD marks an exciting and unique evolution of the £66.4 million McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes brand, as pladis encourages even more UK households to add it to their shopping trolleys.

The launch – which is the biggest format innovation for the brand in the last two years – will reacquaint shoppers with the familiar three layers of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes that they know and love in a delicious doughnut-shaped ring. An incredibly light sponge with a layer of crackly dark chocolate on top, and a tangy, gooey orange flavoured filling.

McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes is already one of the top 10 bestselling biscuits brands – with sales surging by +14.4% in 2020 – and with this launch, pladis aims to further propel the popularity of brand.

“1 in 3 UK households already purchase McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes and we know this brand has scores of ‘Jaffanatics’ up and down the country who can’t wait to get their hands on our latest NPD. We hope they’re as excited as we are about this launch,” says Emma Stowers, brand director for McVitie’s at pladis UK&I.

Hitting shelves hot on the heels of the brand’s £1.7 million ‘Be What You Want To Be’ campaign – which is centred around flouting conventions – McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts aim to drive incremental sales amongst new, younger shoppers, by adding a never-before-seen proposition to the biscuit aisle, and demonstrates just how far the brand can go when it comes to innovation in biscuits.

“This NPD is the perfect example of how we can push the boundaries when it comes to what ‘should’ take pride of place on the biscuit aisle, plus it unlocks new occasions for biscuits. Jaffa Cakes are the original cake on the biscuit aisle and known and loved for this, so why not make room for a Jaffa Jonut too?”, adds Stowers.

“McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes are adored by households across the country – with 54.2% of shoppers buying them again and again – so we know there’s widespread appetite for alternative formats which incorporate the great taste of Jaffa Cakes. In fact, in consumer testing, 85% of people said they’d purchase the product, with a particularly high appeal amongst under-35s.”

As well as launching into sharing boxes of four Jaffa Jonuts, McVitie’s is also bringing shoppers a handy individually-wrapped Jonuts snack pack. This will unlock an opportunity for retailers to drive impulse sales, says pladis.

Stowers continues: “Now that the nation is no longer bound to the confines of their homes, we expect to see a resurgence in on-the-go snacking. Our McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts individual packs are perfect for these occasions – and 93% of consumers agree – so we’re confident stocking an innovative NPD from such a popular brand will help retailers drive sales over the coming months.

“We have huge ambitions for McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes and in order to meet these, we’re going to continue to give Jaffanatics what they want – and that’s even more ways to enjoy this iconic product. McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts are just the start and we’re confident that this launch will help us increase household penetration, by making McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes part of even more snacking occasions.”

The McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts launch will be supported by £2.1 million worth of consumer-facing spend, as part of The Year of Jaffa Cakes. This will include activity across OOH, digital, social, PR and shopper marketing in store – all of which will help the brand to reach 85% of its audience over nine times.

McVitie’s Jaffa Jonuts will first appear on the Tesco biscuit aisle from 16 May, followed by further availability in other multiple retailers, convenience stores and wholesalers from the end of June. The 4x 43g box (RRP: £1.99) and individual 43g packs (RRP: £0.60) will be recyclable through pladis’ partnership with Terracycle (www.terracycle.co.uk).

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