Kraft Lunchables are Adapting to Demands of a More Health Conscious Culture

Sales of Oscar Mayer Lunchables stayed flat from the year 2000 up until just last year, where its sales went up 11.56%, earning $569 in dollar sales in the year that ended March 20.

Lunchables are a 23 year old brand owned by Kraft and marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand, and while the product has gone through its ups and downs, it is definitely on the upswing at this time.  Kraft plans on spending more than $20 million to advertise the brand this year in places such as a six page spread in the royal-wedding issue of People, and Chicago, LA, and New York digital storefronts.  Kraft has also set aside a day in May where it has bought every digital billboard in Times Square and will advertise Lunchables on all of them.   Advertising this year for Lunchables will be the largest ad campaign that Kraft has done for the brand.  These advertising efforts will be led by Dentsu McGarryBowen, in Chicago.  For its social media and other online advertising, Lunchables uses Razorfish as its digital agency.

This advertising push is being done to show the latest change to its Lunchables line, which is putting Dole fruit in with its regular cheese, crackers, and lunch meat varieties.  In 2008, Lunchables added bottles of water to some of its meals.  In late 2007 it also cut the fat and reduced the calories of its meals by 10 and 14 percent, respectively.  Another big change that happened around the same time was to make the crackers, nachos, and pizza that it served whole grain.

According to Rick Shea, a consultant and former Kraft marketer, “They are responding to overall nutrition and societal trends to provide better nutritious food. At the same time, they still recognize that Lunchables was created out of convenience – that’s its main benefit.”

However, registered dietician Susan Levin says that adding fruit does not make up for all of the chemicals and sugar found in the other ingredients in the meal. Despite any criticism, Lunchables sales dominance in the market is impressive.  Although it may never be able to fully satisfy its critics, the brand makes up about 70% of the refrigerated meat, cheese, cracker and dessert category, according to SymphonyIRI Group.