Sunny D seeks parental input on brand strategy
Sunny D is recruiting 12 parents from around the UK to advise on the future brand development of the Sunny D range.
The troubled brand was a massive success on its launch in 1998, but it suffered a steep sales decline after coming under fire from food experts for its sugar content.
Sunny D is now in the hands of the Sunny Delight Beverages Company (SDBC) after it was sold by Procter & Gamble last year. Sunny D still has sales of &£50m a year, a mere quarter of what it sold in its heyday.
The company will consult the Sunny D Parents Advisory Group on product development, marketing and advertising with the aim of helping Sunny D strike a balance between what the parents and the children want.
The selected parents, recruited through advertorials in key women’s weekly titles from September 26, will be expected to attend four meetings a year and will be paid &£1,000 plus expenses for the year. Between meetings, they will also be asked to canvass views among their local communities.
Sunny D commercial manager Paul Nicholls says: “We are looking for a range of people, not just Sunny D drinkers. This is a bold step that recognises our responsibility as a soft drinks manufacturer and could lead anywhere. The parents will be at the heart of considerations on the products we make, the flavours and formats we produce and the messages we advertise.”
Sunny D comes in six flavours – Florida and California, as well as no-added-sugar variants of those two flavours, and no-added-sugar Caribbean and Summer Fruits.
