GUEST ARTICLE: What does defensible innovation look like in the food & beverage industry? “There’s no such thing as defensible innovation in food,” a jaded marketer muttered near me at a very long, two-day innovation off-site years ago.
If you look at the average line extension from a public food or beverage company, this opinion makes total sense. The vast majority of legacy brand product launches are new flavors or formats (drinkable yogurt).
If Brand A launches one of either, their rival can quickly establish an equivalent, potentially neutralizing any brand-to-brand market share problem. Look at the recent hard seltzer craze.