Masterfoods USA is giving teens and tweens a new way to enjoy its popular Starburst candy brand via health and beauty products under a new licensing deal with The Bonne Bell Co.
The food and snack company, also known for its M&M’s and Skittles brands, is rolling out a new line of hair and bath products for girls that capture the sweet scents of the Starburst brand.
“We recognized a void. There were no products for the teen and teen [market],” Michele Brown, VP-licensing, Masterfoods USA, told PROMO Xtra last week. “We saw an opportunity to extend our partnership with Bonne Bell.”
New products include nine-ounce bottles of Smackers Starburst Moisturizing Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in strawberry, orange and cherry Starburst scents, which will retail for $3.95. The line also includes a shower collection gift pack in strawberry Starburst scent, which will sell for $9.95. The full product line will be available at Limited Too stores nationwide in October; the gift collection will roll out for the holiday season at Rite Aid and other food, drug and mass stores.
Masterfoods unveiled the new deal at the 2006 Licensing International Show in New York City. The three-day show, which ended June 22, drew more than 23,000 people. Final attendance numbers are expected this week.
The roll out will complement Bonne Bell’s and Masterfoods’ existing partnership. The two brands launched a line of Starburst- and Skittles-branded Lip Smacker lip glosses in 2003, followed by an M&M’s Lip Smacker lip-gloss line. For Bonne Bell, the licensing deal lets the company extend its brand beyond cosmetics to reach its niche market.
“We’re not just a cosmetic company,” Priya Bhagat, product manager, for Lakewood, OH-based Bonne Bell said. “We’re a lifestyle company. We have a whole untapped audience out there. This is a perfect fit.”
P-O-P, print ads and online materials will support the launch, as well as a gift with purchase program and product samples, Bhagat said.
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