1. Department & Category

The Grocerant Guru Takes a Look at Hamburger Helper’s Refresh

 

Retailers
take notice, it’s the Grocerant
Guru®
here with some insights on a recent brand refresh that caught my eye.
Let’s talk Hamburger
Helper!
Regular readers of this blog know that consumers are dynamic not
static.

Now
we all know many legacy brands need a little sprucing up. Eagle Foods, based in Cleveland, Ohio,
knows this well. They’ve been busy giving the 50-year-old Hamburger Helper a
makeover, along with its animated mascot Lefty. They acquired the brand from
General Mills in 2022 and have been working their magic.

Eagle
Foods revamped the packaging, updated the recipe with tastier flavors, and even
introduced new varieties. They understand that today’s shoppers are all about
convenience, affordability, and of course, deliciousness.

They
hit the market with the refresh pretty quickly, in about 18 months. This speed
reflects two things: first, the growing popularity of quick and easy one-pan
meals, and second, Eagle Foods’ focus on revitalizing their stable of legacy
brands.

Another food
reporter
recently visited Eagle Foods’ brand new innovation center near
Chicago. Here is some of what she had to say, it’s a hub for creativity! Mala
Wiedemann, the company’s EVP of marketing and R&D, filled her in on their
approach.


Eagle
Foods is young, but their brands are veterans. “We love finding brands
with strong foundations and growth potential, especially those that might be
underutilized,” Wiedemann explained. They target brands that could benefit
from a fresh perspective, whether they’re family-owned businesses or lost in
the shuffle of a larger company.

Eagle
Foods focuses on the center store, an area they believe is often neglected by
grocers but gets a lot of shopper traffic. “Convenience meals are
timeless,” Wiedemann said. “Hamburger Helper was a hit in 1970
because it was easy and tasty, and that’s still true today. We’re not changing
its core identity; we’re just making it modern and tastier.”

This
message is clear in their new marketing campaign that launched mid-February.

The
innovation center was buzzing with activity. She saw Eagle’s food scientists
developing new flavors, from a natural caramel corn to a Green Goddess Suddenly
Pasta Salad. They even showed me a sneak peek of a new single-serve,
microwaveable Hamburger Helper cup coming later this year!


“We
invested in this space to drive innovation,” Wiedemann explained. “We
know it’s key to our growth and to the success of our retail partners.”

Eagle
Foods isn’t just focused on the present, they’re looking to the future too.
“Legacy brands can resonate with younger generations,” Wiedemann
said. “Gen Z loves to cook and explore new things, and that creates a lot
of opportunities.”

So,
there you have it folks. Hamburger Helper’s refresh is a great example of how
to revitalize a legacy brand for the modern shopper. Keep an eye on Eagle
Foods, they’re shaking things up in the center store, and that’s good news for
all of us!  Consumers are not static they
are dynamic.  Brands need to be dynamic
as well.

Success does
leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the
consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular
readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of
Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA
based Foodservice Solutions
®.  Our
Grocerant Guru
® can help your
company edify your brand with relevance. 
Call 253-759-7869 for more information. 


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