pladis breaks with tradition with flavour fusion for Jaffa Cakes
pladis is expanding appeal for its popular McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes brand by venturing beyond fruit for the first time in its history with what it believes is its most disruptive (yet popular) flavour launch yet.
A marriage between one of Britain’s favourite sweets and best-loved snacks, its latest limited-edition launch – McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour – is looking to drive penetration among younger shoppers “seeking innovative, unique flavour combinations”.
Packs of 10 Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour will hit Asda from 10th June, ahead of wider roll out from the end of July – after which independent retailers can get a special slice of the action with a channel-exclusive PMP (£1.25).
Plus, going one step further, the new flavour will also launch in Cake Bar format as pladis looks to leverage the popularity of Jaffa Cakes across its £8.6M Cake Bars portfolio. These will be launching in Tesco from 22nd July, rolling out more widely from mid-August.
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour will feature the brand’s familiar light sponge and dark, crackly chocolate. The tangy orange centre will be switched out for a distinctive cola bottle jelly.
Although pladis is no stranger to launching tasty takes on its much-loved Jaffa Cakes – with Jaffa Cakes Flavours, including Passion Fruit and Raspberry, having added £19.7m in sales to the brand since 2021 – it marks the first time the brand has experimented beyond fruit to bring a disruptive, yet popular, flavour to the category.
“Our Original Jaffa Cakes are a store-cupboard staple for 7.1m UK households, and we’ve been building on this success for years by adding a range of fruity flavours to our portfolio,” says Adam Woolf, marketing director – McVitie’s at pladis UK&I. “But there’s huge appetite among the next generation of snacking shoppers for something genuinely new and different – and as the original cake in the biscuit aisle, we know a thing or two about doing something different. So, as well as catering to shopper demand, our latest launch is the perfect embodiment of the playful, out of the ordinary essence that’s Jaffa Cakes’ heartland.
“Inspired by the enduring popularity of both McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes and Cola Bottle sweets, McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour is tailormade for those who’ve got the bottle to branch out and give bold new flavour combinations a go. We’re also very confident this will appeal to shoppers, having come out on top as the best-performing flavour amongst 18–34 year-olds in our pre-launch testing.”
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour will also be launching in packs of 5 individually-wrapped Cake Bars. Coming in at just 97kcals each, positioned as a pre-portioned treat for those seeking an afternoon pick-me-up or a sweet treat to take on the move.
Making the launch unmissable, McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Cola Bottle Flavour will be supported by pladis’ biggest marketing investment in Jaffa Cakes Flavours to date – with strong public relations, disruptive out of home media, fun social and influencer content and partnerships, as well as major in-store shopper activations.
