DoorDash Reaches Beyond Snack Foods in Super Bowl Ad, Sweepstakes
DoorDash unveiled its plans to engage fans on Sunday, Feb. 11, with a first-of-its-kind sweepstakes that shows how consumers can get just about anything on DoorDash. Timed to football’s biggest event, DoorDash will DoorDash stuff from all the commercials – awarding one lucky winner with items advertised throughout the duration of the game. From cars to snack foods to desserts, self-care products and even tax service, DoorDash will give it all away. Just crack the code during DoorDash’s Big Game commercial for a chance to obtain it all.
Head to doordash-all-the-ads.com, to see the growing list of prizes as DoorDash “ads them to the cart.” The grand prize winner can expect to see cars, gifts and goodies from multiple beloved brands airing ads during the Big Game like Doritos Dinamita, Dove, Kia, MTN DEW Baja Blast, M&M’S, OREO Cookies, Popeyes, REESE’s Peanut Butter Cups, Starry, and many, many, many, many more!
“DoorDash was founded 10 years ago with a simple mission: grow and empower local economies. What started out as connecting consumers with their favorite local restaurants has transformed into a multi-category marketplace where you can get pretty much anything from your local neighborhood delivered – from food, to flowers, alcohol, retail items, and more – straight to your door,” said Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, CMO, DoorDash. “We believe there’s no better way to showcase what’s possible with DoorDash than literally delivering all the Big Game ads to one lucky winner.”
With its wide selection of retail partners, consumers can find nearly 2 million products on the DoorDash app – from clothing and makeup to household essentials. Now, more than 99 percent of DoorDash’s monthly consumers in the United States have access to a non-restaurant retailer on the DoorDash marketplace app.
Here’s how to enter:
-
Bookmark www.doordash-all-the-ads.com and tune in to the game on Feb. 11.
-
Watch the DoorDash commercial to crack the code and enter it at www.doordash-all-the-ads.com.
-
Hold your breath, press “submit now” and keep your fingers crossed.
The announcement marks DoorDash’s third time advertising in the Big Game and quickly follows the launch of its new brand platform, ‘Your Door to More.’ By showcasing how DoorDash provides convenient access to restaurants, grocery and retail stores, pet and beauty supplies and more, the new platform underscores DoorDash’s mission to grow and empower local economies and make the best of every neighborhood available to consumers on-demand.
The :30 Big Game spot was created in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Emmy-nominated director Mike Diva, best known for his video shorts on SNL. Laurence Fishburne’s iconic voice is featured throughout the work. The multi-layered 360 campaign also includes external partnerships with more than a dozen brands, 24/7 social engagement, teasers and DoorDash’s first-ever Dashspondent Lonnie IIV, a larger than life personality, who will report on the entire experience every step of the way. For more information, head to www.doordash-all-the-ads.com.
For more news of interest to the snack foods industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Utz Brands Accelerates Supply Chain Transformation, Brand Portfolio Strategy
Utz Brands, Inc. announced that certain of its subsidiaries including Utz Quality Foods, LLC have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of certain assets and brands to Our Home, an operating company of Better-for-You brands that includes Real Food From the Ground Up, Popchips and Food Should Taste Good. Under the agreement, affiliates of Our Home have agreed to purchase the Good Health and R.W. Garcia brands, the Lincolnton, N.C., and Lititz, Penn., manufacturing facilities and certain related assets, and assume the Company’s Las Vegas facility’s lease and manufacturing operations.
Following the close of the transactions, Utz and Our Home will operate under a transition services agreement for 12 months. The total consideration for the transactions is $182.5 million, subject to customary adjustments, and the transactions are expected to close on Feb. 5. In addition, post-closing, the parties will operate under reciprocal co-manufacturing agreements under which Our Home will co-manufacture certain Utz products and Utz will co-manufacture certain Good Health products. Certain Good Health products will continue to be distributed and sold on the Utz DSD network for Our Home. Our Home plans to continue to operate and grow the brands and manufacturing facilities under its platform while offering employment to Utz associates working in those facilities as part of the transition.
Howard Friedman, chief executive officer of Utz, said, “We expect these transactions to deliver on our supply chain transformation and value creation initiatives, to fast-track our deleveraging timeline by a full year, and to accelerate our brand portfolio strategy to better optimize for growth. With this important step in the optimization of our supply chain and brand portfolio, together with immediate benefits to free cash flow from lower interest expense, we are well-positioned to execute against our expansion plans across the U.S. and deliver on our margin target.
“Our Home’s portfolio of Better-for-You brands is well aligned with Good Health and R.W. Garcia’s missions of bringing healthy, innovative snacks to consumers. On behalf of everyone at Utz, I would like to thank our associates within the Good Health and R.W. Garcia businesses for their many contributions. They have a great place within Our Home, and I am confident they will have exciting opportunities ahead.”
Aaron Greenwald, founder and CEO of Our Home, said, “We are thrilled to announce this acquisition from Utz as it significantly scales Our Home’s snacking platform and manufacturing footprint across the United States. These transactions support our vision to deliver snacks that satisfy while creating a sense of connection and comfort at tremendous value. Through our owned-production facilities led by our invaluable team members, along with a carefully curated brand portfolio, we aim to be the preferred choice for those seeking high-quality, Better-for-You snacks.”
The transactions are expected to provide approximately $150 million in after-tax net proceeds, which Utz will use to pay down its long-term debt. The debt reduction is expected to lower interest expense by approximately $12 million in fiscal 2024 based on the Company’s current outlook for interest rates, and to accelerate the Company’s plan for achieving its target of approximately 3.0x Net Leverage by a full year from the end of fiscal 2026 to the end of fiscal 2025.
The company expects the impact of the transactions to be accretive to its Adjusted Earnings per Share on a full-year basis in 2024, reflecting the foregone profit related to the Good Health and R.W. Garcia brands, and after factoring in the benefit of cost savings and the use of net proceeds from the sale to paydown long-term debt and reduce interest expense. Utz estimates that Good Health and R.W. Garcia-related products contributed approximately $65 million in net sales for the fiscal-year ended Dec. 31.
In addition, at the company’s recent 2023 Investor Day, Utz provided fiscal 2026 financial targets that included targeted Supply Chain Network Optimization cost savings of approximately $45 million to be achieved from 2024 through 2026. The Company expects that the completion of these transactions will accelerate the timing of cost savings. Management will further discuss this impact, in addition to its fiscal year 2024 outlook, on its fiscal-year 2023 earnings conference call on Feb. 29.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company’s Circana total retail sales increased 4.1% and Power Brands increased 5.3 percent, both ahead of Salty Snack Category growth of 2.8 percent. The company’s total retail sales growth was led by volume growth of 4.3 percent compared to the Salty Snack Category volume decline of (1.9 percent). Additionally, based on preliminary financial information, the company estimates fourth quarter total net sales declined between (1.3 percent) to (0.2 percent) to between $350 million and $354 million. The Company anticipates that its net sales growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to be more consistent with retail sales growth.
For the fiscal-year 2023, based on preliminary financial information, the Company estimates 2023 total net sales growth in a range of 2 to 2.2 percent, and is narrowing its fiscal-year 2023 Adjusted EBITDA outlook range to growth of 9.5 to 10 percent versus the prior expectation of growth of 8 to 11 percent.
These preliminary results are based on the company’s current estimate of its results for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2023 and remain subject to normal year-end accounting procedures and are subject to change. Under the federal securities laws, the Company is not permitted to release non-GAAP results until it is able to disclose the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Due to the company’s year-end closing process, such GAAP figures are not available in advance of the release of such information on Feb. 29, when Utz plans to release its fiscal-year 2023 financial results. At that time, the company will host a conference call and webcast with members of the executive management team to discuss these results at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Visit the “Events & Presentations” section of Utz’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.utzsnacks.com to access the live webcast and presentation. The webcast will be available in listen-only mode, and the replay will be archived on the “Events & Presentations” section of Utz’s Investor Relations website.
For more news of interest to the snack foods industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Southern Recipe Small Batch Launches Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds
Southern Recipe Small Batch, the leading authentic, handcrafted, small batch pork rind snack brand, recently announced its newest product launch, bringing a sweet and saucy new flavor to the snack food aisle: Sweet BBQ Pork Rinds. The new variety will be available in Kroger stores nationwide in late February at an SRP of $3.99 for each four-ounce bag. This new flavor is a direct response to consumer interest, and is a trending flavor for snack food, overall.
According to Flavor & the Menu magazine, “American barbecue has never showcased more flavor diversity and appeal than it does right now. Across the country, chefs are putting their own spins on the classics while also introducing consumers to the country’s wide array of on-trend regional variations.” As a result, consumers are driving demand for their beloved BBQ flavor in sweet variations in the snack food aisle as well.
“BBQ flavoring for snack foods is as traditional as it gets,” shares Mark Singleton, VP of sales and marketing at Rudolph Foods. “Especially when it comes to pork rinds, consumers just love the combination of BBQ and that bacony flavor they can find only in a pork rind. And because sweet BBQ is a trending flavor right now, we believe this is a flavor made in hog heaven.”
Southern Recipe Small Batch’s newest addition to its branded line of products are a true testament to innovation in nostalgic snacks and flavors. The new Sweet BBQ variety allows the brand to diversify its current offering and speak to the conversations with shoppers specifically requesting this culinary flavor. The brand is excited to once again help fans renew their love for pork rinds, and to become a new favorite for snack food lovers everywhere.
Southern Recipe Small Batch, a division of Southern Recipe – “The tastiest crunch in the South” – is a small batch, handcrafted brand of pork rinds. Developed with the purpose of delivering iconic flavors in a nostalgic recipe, Southern Recipe Small Batch offers this traditionally indulgent Southern snack in internationally-inspired flavors that boasts up to eight grams of protein, up to seven grams of collagen, low carbs and naturally gluten free. For additional information, please call 1-800-241-7675, or visit SouthernRecipeSmallBatch.com.
For more news of interest to the snack foods industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
