How think! delivers feel-good, high protein snacks
Glanbia’s high protein snack brand think! is branching out beyond protein bars into new products inspired by childhood-favourite home bakes and desserts. High in protein and with only 3g to 4g of sugar, this mindful snack brand taps into consumer desire for an anytime, grab and go snack companion. Here's how think! uses four power moves to position snacking on the go as something you don’t have to think about.
Lead with delight
“We’re hacking snacking behaviour with a candy-bar-like eating experience,” says Erica Morris, think! Brand Director. “We call it favourite flavours done deliciously well. Our High-Protein and MINIS protein bars come in flavours like cookies and crème, and cupcake batter, and we’ve just launched a new format, Crispy Squares in three flavours including chocolate crunch. These are craveable flavours that previously would’ve been considered off limits,” she says.
Using words like crunch or chunk – as in peanut butter chocolate chunk flavour – not only sounds enticing it makes a direct appeal to the senses and describes what biting into something feels like. Delightful, indulgent and high in protein – every mouthful delivers great taste.
“What I love is that we’re very different from our competitive set. When our competitors are more in the weight-loss space, there can be a restrictive feeling and that’s absolutely not what think! wants to be,” says Erica. “We’re a ‘food-first’ snacking brand. We’re taking ourselves out of the macro-focused supplement type of positioning. We want to be welcoming, approachable and joyful,” she says.
Hit on the trends
While interesting textures are trending, the think! team spotted an opportunity to zone in on the crispy treat format. This opened the way for Glanbia, with its expert capabilities to flavour protein and make it crackle and pop for consumers.
think!'s latest format, Crispy Squares, reminds you of the gooey, rice crispy-based snack that for many of us was our first foray into ‘cooking’ as kids. “Who doesn’t love a crispy treat?” says Erica. “We’ve seen a ton of technologies and innovation at Glanbia that allows us to bring protein into so many different formats and textures including crispy. It’s incredible what our R&D team was able to do with this product,” she says. “It contains 15g of protein and 4g or less of sugar, so it's something you can enjoy every day.”
Crispy Squares flavours, among them toffee pretzel and marshmallow crunch, play into current trends for wholesomeness and nostalgia too, with connotations of sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows and passing snacks or sweets around.
Flag up fun occasions and joyful moments
“We have a partnership with Girl Scouts currently that delivers in spades on this idea,” Erica adds. “With our Girl Scouts bar flavours we’re putting iconic cookie flavours like Thin Mints and S’mores out there.”
S’mores, for those unfamiliar, consist of marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched between two sweet Graham crackers.
“These are flavours that have nostalgic, cult-like followings in the US. Our MINIS series makes them even easier to enjoy,” Erica says.
Celebrities and media agree. According to Jessie James Decker, singer and busy mum-of-four, who partnered with the brand to launch the MINIS line, think! MINIS Chocolate Chip are a “purse essential.” She tells Us Weekly, "These are my must-have mom snack. They’re perfectly sized to enjoy on the go — I even keep a few in my car. I love that they have the protein I need and satisfy my sweet tooth."
Occasional snacking on the go can remind consumers of good times and makes for a powerful emotional connection with the brand, whether they’re actually at the park or the beach or are on a break from work, scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, when they’re served an ad.
Know your audience – and where to meet it
Peppy and conversational, colourful and visual, the ‘don’t think. think!’ campaign speaks directly to ‘ thoughtful snackers’ – of whom there are 73 million in the US alone (1). The brand meets them exactly where they are.
“These are people who often suffer from decision overload, who look to think! as a brand that they can trust to help them manage their day without compromising and without taking a ton of mental effort to sort through the options,” Erica says.
“Being a millennial mom is a quintessential example of someone who has a massive mental load and appreciates a quick, easy way to make better choices. But our audience is broad and we target both males and females across a broad age demo,” Erica says. “It could be a Gen Z male who wants to feel good about his snacking choices during his busy working day.”
This is the campaign’s message, that you can rely on think! products for a pick-me-up or a well-earned treat. Choices that will make you feel good and satisfying without overwhelming you or making you feel you’ve overdone it. That’s how think! makes snacking feel good too.
“Our brand is only just getting started on the innovation front,” says Erica. “Crispy Squares are the first step in our venture into fun, timeless, delicious snacking formats beyond the bar.
“We’re driving a step-change in alternative snacking formats,” she says. “And, so far, we’ve only scratched the surface. There’s so much more to come.”
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References
(1) - Numerator HH panel data, L52 weeks ending 6/12/2022.