Duncan Hines Aims to Rise to the Top

Duncan Hines wants to be the cream of the crop among the baking mixes. The Pinnacle Foods-owned brand is going after highly sought marketing deals and rolling out new packaging as part of an overall brand repositioning. Come this fall, new Duncan Hines introductions -- such as Decadent Glazes and Decadent Cakes -- will feature a new, more "upscale" brand packaging, said company rep Michelle Weese. The move coincides with Duncan Hines' efforts to tap into the recession-driven, eat- and bake-at-home trend. It harkens back to the brand's history and heritage, in particular, that Duncan Hines' namesake founder was "a real person who stood for superior quality" and was around before the modern-day Fodor and Zagat travel and food guides, the company said. "At a time when there was no such thing a restaurant critics and ratings, Duncan was on to something new. Four little words would come to have significant importance to restaurants all across the country: 'Recommended by Duncan Hines,'" the company stated. As part of that repositioning, Duncan Hines today announced new marketing partnerships. It is the "official dessert sponsor" at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' 62nd Prime-time Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Awards Governors Ball. It's also tapped the Culinary Institute of America to prepare Duncan Hines treats for awards show guests, winners and celebrities. More partnerships are in store, Weese said, with the current sponsors representing the "best of the best in culinary," whereas the Emmy Awards recognize "the best of the best in TV." Both, she said, reinforce the brand's image of "superiority in baked goods." "We're going back to the heritage and quality of the brand," she said, adding that in recent years, Duncan Hines' packaging had evolved to be more of a "category-centric" look. "It's like [other products] you see on the shelf," she said of the current packaging lineup. The new Duncan Hines packaging, however, uses bolder, richer colors such as deep purple, black, as well as a lighter shade of green. (Contrast that with the present color palette: bright red, brown and purple.) There is also a close-up, beauty shot of the product, and product descriptions like "Decadent brownie mix" written in elegant, subtle text. Zach Group handled package design. Lynn Dornblaser, an analyst who tracks new products at research firm Mintel, said the change is a welcome one. "It's a very nice update to an established, iconic brand," she said. Dornblaser noted that preserving the original Duncan Hines logo and placement on the box was crucial, but new updates like the "black background and burgundy instead of red makes for a more upscale look and feel, as does the typeface." The new packaging positions the brand as "more of a treat," while differentiating it from other competitors in the category, namely Betty Crocker, which also uses a red color scheme on its packaging. Duncan Hines may have another thing going for it. In this economic downturn, consumers are staying at home more. In doing so, they're also cooking and baking more -- two trends in favor of the brand. In this soft economy, "people have turned to baking as one of the activities they can express themselves with, and you'll see Duncan Hines get closer to the consumer and what they're looking for in a product," Weese said. Pinnacle Foods last year spent $15 million advertising Duncan Hines in 2009 (sans digital), an increase from $8 million in '08, per Nielsen.

Brand Marketing

Duncan Hines Aims to Rise to the Top

Elaine Wong

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Elaine Wong