Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon

Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon

Has anyone tried this? The first time I saw it in the grocery store I was pretty grossed out. I don't think I will try this product at all. Let me know if you have!

DiGiorno Pizza and Cookies

DiGiorno Pizza and Cookies

Nothing goes better with pizza than cookies right? Seems like a very odd combination to me. Let me know if you feel any different. Sometimes two things that are good, are not good together. Don't get me wrong, I love DiGiorno Pizza. Just hold the cookies please. DiGiorno Pizza is by far the best frozen pizza I have ever had. Good try on the Co-Branding, but Chips Ahoy with Reese's got it better:

Chips Ahoy! with Reese's

New Budweiser Bowtie Can

New Budweiser Bowtie Can

Budweiser Can Evolution

Co-Branding

Eggo and Fiber Plus Co-Branding

Due to the recession and always having an overall food fight for your money, companies and brands have come up with creative ways to make you notice and purchase their products. What's better than one brand in a box? Having two brands in a box of course! At the top is Eggo Waffles infused with Kellogg's FiberPlus Calcium. Hopefully this co-branding alliance will increase sales for both brands involved. This creates a win-win situation for the brands and parent company involved. Here are a couple more examples to tingle your brain:

ARIZONA tea with Poland Spring Water

FritoLay MUNCHIES with Doritos Cheese

Unique Easy Cheese Display

New Easy Cheese Display

Well it looks like this Easy Cheese display was effective because there are 3 cans missing at the consumers eye level. Great job Kraft Foods!

New Clif Bar CRUNCH

New Clif Bar CRUNCH

I was actually eating these Clif CRUNCH bars for like 3 weeks straight before I realized that they were actually a new product. I guess Clif is more low key with their packaging and their focus is on the quality of the product on the inside. They also come in Chocolate Chip flavor. I was eating one Clif CRUNCH bar a day (each package has 2 bars) and I had to keep myself from eating multiple bars. Rationing my supply! If you enjoy quality natural granola bars, you have to try these delicious CRUNCH bars.

Chips Ahoy! New Fudge Flavors

Chips Ahoy! New Fudge Flavors

Chips Ahoy! has introduced new Chewy Gooey MEGAFUDGE and CHOCOFUDGE flavors. I will not be trying these because that is way too much chocolate for me. I will stick to regular chocolate chip cookies in this case. Let me know if you have tried these. Maybe even send me a video taste test!

New SnackWells Packaging

New SnackWells Packaging

Old SnackWells Packaging

What do you think of the new packaging? Do you like it better than the old?

The "6 Month Rule"

Have you ever wondered how long a product can be considered New? I remember trying out the New Trident Layers after seeing the commercial of people getting paid in gum. I feel like this product has been out for a while now and it still says "New" on the packaging. According to the Consumer Advertising Law Blog you must physically change the product (like ingredients) and not just re-design the packaging. The product can then claim itself as new for a period of no longer than 6 months. Seems like this rule is not set in stone, and is more of a "tentative outer limit".

DiGiornio In Store Ad

DiGiornio In Store Ad

Simple, Brilliant, and Effective. This DiGiornio Pizza ad was a transparent sticker located on the glass window of a grocery store freezer.

Cheetos Natural?

Cheetos Natural

I was in my local grocery store this weekend and I was doing a walk through the all natural section when I found Natural Cheetos. This just seems like a huge contradiction in my eyes. How can something be natural and Cheetos at the same time? Kind of reminds me of oxymoron's like "Little Giants". What do you think?

Malibu Black

Malibu Black

I tried a free sample of Malibu Black a couple weeks ago and it was surprisingly very good. I do not like Malibu original, because I am not a big fan of coconut and its too sweet and sugary for my taste. The Malibu Black kicks it up a notch with Caribbean Rum which makes it 70 Proof. I could actually see myself drinking Malibu Black on the rocks at a beach. Job well done Malibu. I might actually purchase this in the future.

Limited Edition Diet Coke Can

Limited Edition Diet Coke Can

Check out the article by Ad Week here - http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/diet-coke-gets-new-look-fall-134138

Arby's New Jamocha Oreo Shake

Arby's Jamocha Oreo Shake

Truthfully couldn't figure out what Jamocha meant while I was tasting this Oreo shake. Call me ignorant, but According to Arbys.com Jamocha is "Our signature thick and creamy shake blended with just the right combination of chocolate and coffee flavor." I also saw on another website that it meant Java + Mocha. I didn't really notice the hint of coffee, but when Anthony tried it he did. I really just purchased it because of the Oreo brand mixed in. I wonder if I would have purchased it if I knew what Jomocha meant at the time. I am not a big fan of coffee because my body doesn't like caffeine. I do however like the flavor of coffee sometimes. Check out the video below for my reaction.

New Colby Flavored Cheez-It

New Colby Flavored Cheez-It

Hey Wendy! Dream Cheeseburger

Hey Wendy

If you "like" Wendy's on Facebook, then you may have noticed their new Hey Wendy promotion. Customers submit their dream cheeseburger by shooting a 15 second video starting with the words "Hey Wendy". I will post a link to my video in which I requested a Bacon and Egg Cheeseburger. What would be your dream cheeseburger? Go ahead and tell Wendy's here - (http://apps.facebook.com/hey_wendy/)

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Here is a screenshot from POM Wonderful presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. It's a documentary about, and completely paid for by product placement, marketing, and advertising. POM Wonderful paid $1 Million to be the title sponsor. I have been really fascinated by POM Wonderful and their marketing. I read most of their work in the book entitled Rubies in the Orchard. FIJI Water is in the picture because they are also part of the parent company called Roll Global (http://www.roll.com/). Their major brands include Teleflora, FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, and Paramount Farms. If you love marketing, branding, and food products, they are a great company to follow. After watching the movie and writing this post all I want to do is buy a POM Wonderful. Job is well done when you can sell something to a salesman. Here is the trailer. There is lots to learn about these companies and you will probably see more about them in this blog.

Remember Powerade Jagged Ice?

Powerade Jagged Ice

What ever happened to Powerade Jagged Ice? Not only was it my favorite flavor of Powerade, but it was my favorite sports drink...period. When I was playing basketball in High School (yes I played basketball) I would drink an entire Jagged Ice before the games and I remember having a dark blue tongue to start all of my games. The taste of Jagged Ice was familiar, but unique at the same time. Black Raspberry is the best way to describe it. I tried finding some information on the web about why they discontinued the flavor and the only thing I could find was due to low sales. I also found that it was replaced with Grape. I absolutely hate grape flavor. So in my personal situation they replaced the best with the worst. I would like to hear the real story behind its dissapearance.

Frank's Red Hot Thick, Beef Jerky

Frank's Red Hot Thick

Frank's Red Hot Beef Jerky

Frank's Chile 'n Lime Beef Jerky

California Whopper - Burger King

Has anyone tried this yet?

Pinnacle Flavored Vodkas

Chocolate Whipped

Forget the alcohol infused Whipped Cream, (Which I still have to try!) and try Pinnacle Flavored Vodkas. My personal favorite is the Chocolate Whipped. I have also tried Whipped and Cake flavors. I checked out their website and they actually produce it in 29, yes...29 Flavors. (http://www.pinnaclevodka.com/flavors). 29 Flavors sounds like an obnoxious amount of flavors, but with unique tastes like Cotton Candy, Espresso, Gummy, and Root Beer; you are sure to find something tasty that suits your mood and tingles your taste buds. No chaser necessary. Just enjoy the unique tastes that are infused in these French Vodkas.

Magnum Chocolate Bars

Magnum Chocolate Bars

We should eat them because Rachel Bilson says so...

Chilled Reese's Cooler Display

Reese's Cooler Display

Perfectly Chilled

The Reese's cooler display is a cool idea (pun intended). I have heard about and tried Reese's from a freezer, but the fridge sounds like it will be just perfect. Better than having them melt on a potentially warm store shelf.

Twix Coconut: Limited Edition

Twix Coconut Limited Edition

I found this Limited Edition Twix Coconut (MARS) at a local convenience store. I don't like coconut, so you won't see me testing this one on video. Feel free to send me all the Twix PB you want though! Have you tried this product? Post your comments below or record a video. I would love to see what you think...

Grandma's Cookies New Packaging

New Package Design

Old Package Design

Grandma's Cookies (Frito-Lay, PEPSICO) have redesigned their packaging. I think it is because of their "Improved Recipe". I probably should buy them to see if they taste different. I love the peanut butter ones to begin with. I wonder how something that tastes good can taste better? (Don't fix what isn't broken) A lot of companies will "improve" their recipe AKA just change something little so that they can update their packaging and improve sales. I would highly recommend Grandma's Cookies. They are super yummy, and peanut butter is my favorite flavor. They come in lots of different flavors, Oatmeal Raisin being my second choice.

Dunkin' Donuts New Products

Dunkin' Donuts New Sandwiches

New Dunkin' Donuts K-CUPS

Tropicana New Packaging

I ventured to Dunkin' Donuts for lunch today because I remembered seeing and hearing ads for their new sandwiches. The sandwiches that were being advertised were the Roast Beef & Cheddar, and the Turkey Cheddar & Bacon. I wasn't in the mood to try any of those, so I tried the Chicken Salad Sandwich that I will post my video about soon. Dunkin' Donuts also has a new line of K-CUPS. I am not a big coffee fan, but you can't help but love the idea of the Keurig K-Cups! They are very convenient for coffee lovers who only want to make one cup instead of a whole pot. K-Cups are also super quick to make. I love the new design of the Tropicana orange juice bottles. They really encompass the feeling of Florida and oranges. I don't even like orange juice, nor is it good for my delicate stomach, but I would definitely buy this bottle if I was. Will someone send me one of the new Tropicana bottles to put on my desk? Here is a picture of the old bottle. Correct me if I am wrong:

Tropicana Old Packaging

Oreo Fudge Cremes

  

Today I tried the brand new Oreo Fudge Cremes from NABISCO (Kraft Foods). They can be described as one Oreo chocolate wafer with a layer of Oreo creme filling, then completely covered in chocolate fudge. My favorite Oreos are the Double Stuf because I like to have more creme filling than chocolate wafer. If you absolutely love chocolate or fudge then I would highly recommend the Oreo Fudge Cremes to you. It was a little too much chocolate and fudge for me. (I am a vanilla lover.) I could only handle one or two fudge cremes in one sitting as opposed to having like 5 Double Stuf Oreos with a nice glass of milk. I actually think that Oreo should make a Limited Edition Triple Stuf Oreo, just because it would be obnoxiously awesome, and maybe even good if it is not too much to handle. Check back here on Beck's Brands for a review of the Triple Double Oreos!

Oreo Fudge Cremes are available in the following flavors

- Original
- Peanut Butter
- Mint
- Golden