Innovation spotlight: Fanta Haunted Apple x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Welcome to Innovation Spotlight! Each month we’ll spotlight a brand that’s capitalizing on a current consumer trend with a new product innovation.

This month we researched Fanta’s Haunted Apple, a limited edition flavor released in support of the new Beetlejuice movie. Read on to get our analysis of the product's in-market potential, the audiences it appeals to, as well as what you can learn from it to innovate smarter. 

Gearing up for their biggest Halloween yet, Fanta is celebrating the release of the new movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice by summoning Beetlejuice with his own Limited Edition flavor, haunted apple, featuring an iconic black-and-white striped design and the main character himself (Michael Keaton). 

The full Fanta range will receive limited time makeovers featuring the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice characters, including Orange for Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Strawberry for Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), Pineapple for Delia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara), as well as Grape for Delores (Monica Bellucci) and Lemon for Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe). 

All flavors feature a QR code on the pack that can be scanned for access to exclusive physical and digital experiences, including the chance to win tickets to catch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in cinemas. 

A wider campaign to support the launch of the limited edition flavor invites consumers to “Summon What You Wanta” by finding unexpected and exciting ways to celebrate Halloween. The campaign builds on the brand’s longstanding association with the spooky season with a call to curate the holiday they really want(a).

Fanta has a long history of activating and innovating during Halloween. With bold colors and a playful brand image that naturally align with the spooky and fun vibe of the holiday, Fanta strived to establish a connection with the festive season to primarily reach younger audiences. With countless Halloween-themed marketing campaigns, limited edition flavors, partnerships and events over the years, the brand’s connection to the season is now undeniable. 

On track to scare up one of the biggest September debuts of all time, with a predicted $80 million for the North American Box Office, the sequel to fantasy horror-comedy Beetlejuice has been highly anticipated by the masses. Fan engagement is being fueled by immersive events like The Afterlife Experience in Los Angeles at Ovation Hollywood, which lets people dive into the Beetlejuice universe through an interactive exhibit. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice starring Gen Z horror princess Jenna Ortega and Gen X goth queen Winona Ryder is set to have something for all age groups to enjoy, making it the perfect franchise for Fanta to associate themselves with in the lead up to spooky season. 

Does the hype for the movie translate into appeal for Fanta’s limited edition Beetlejuice range with the brand new haunted apple flavor? That’s what we set out to find out!

1. Innovating around a topical trend or event in a way that aligns with your brand values can drive relevance for your brand, differentiate it from competitors and even boost incremental sales among specific audiences.

2. When launching a limited edition flavor or variant, it’s important to establish whether it is differentiated enough from your core range and whether it's competitive enough in driving consumer engagement compared to your existing products and competitors. 

3. Limited edition or seasonal innovation is designed to boost sales and drive brand engagement and talkability over a short period of time. Thinking of ways consumers can further interact with your innovation beyond the product itself (like creating packaging designs that can be seen as collectables, tying physical experiences to the product, running competitions, etc.) can make a huge difference to its overall performance in market. 

What’s the potential?

Fanta’s limited-edition haunted apple x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice scores in line with the average beverage innovation on trial potential and in the top 5% of all beverage innovations tested in the US on breakthrough potential. 

Sitting in the ‘seed and grow’ section of our potential quadrant means the limited edition flavor and supporting range is seen as highly unique and distinctive but appeals to some people more than others. 

When we compare the potential against carbonated soft drink (CSD) innovations only, the product actually scores in the top 30% of all new CSDs tested in the US on both trial (71) and breakthrough potential (74). 

This is purely due to the fact that, according to our dataset, new carbonated soft drinks score lower on average compared to all beverages when it comes to purchase likelihood (the measure driving trial potential) and higher on distinctiveness — one of the key drivers of the breakthrough potential score. However, it’s important to contextualize Fanta’s new limited edition flavor and accompanying range with all non-alcoholic beverages as it not only competes against carbonated soft drinks. 

Over half of respondents said they would be likely to buy Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice if available at a reasonable price, in line with the norm for US beverage innovations (purchase likelihood T2B: 54.5% vs 55.4% norm). Given the new limited edition flavor and revamped range are priced in line with the core Fanta range, there was no major impact on the purchase likelihood once respondents discovered how much they are being retailed for, with 53% saying they’d be likely to buy. 

Given the younger nature of Fanta’s typical consumer base, there were clear differences across demographics on how people responded to Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. 

The average age of Beetlejuice fans tends to be in the late 20s to early 40s, primarily including people who grew up with the original 1988 film, which has since become a cult classic. Younger audiences have also been drawn to the movie through its cultural resurgence, including the Broadway musical and ongoing references in popular media. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that 72% of adults under 45 said they would be willing to purchase Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice versus only 31% of adults over 45 years old. 

People who engage with carbonated soft drinks on a more regular basis, consuming at least once a week, were also significantly more likely to want to engage with the limited edition flavor and wider Beetlejuice Beetlejuice range (purchase likelihood T2B: 70.8% CSD regular drinkers vs 55.4% norm). 

Additionally, with the new movie at the core of Fanta’s innovation, people who are looking forward to the release were also significantly more likely to want to purchase the range. We asked to what extent our respondents agreed with the statement “I’m looking forward to watching the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie in cinemas.” Over two thirds agreed to the statement and 72% of them said they would be likely to purchase Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. 

Most people said they would buy Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in addition to what they typically buy (71%) vs to replace what they typically buy (29%). This showcases a great potential for driving brand and category incrementality despite the fact only one flavor in the range is actually new. 

When it comes to breakthrough potential, we look at two key measures to determine this:

1. How different (distinctiveness) a product is

2. How superior (advantage) a product is compared to what’s already available in market 

Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is seen as highly distinctive, performing significantly above the average for a beverage innovation in the US (distinctiveness T2B: 81.2% vs 65.9% norm) and singlehandedly driving the outstanding breakthrough potential score. While most flavors in the Fanta range just got a packaging makeover, this is seen as highly unique and the haunted apple variant in the iconic black and white stripes alluding to Beetlejuice’s suit truly stands out. 

The range was seen as significantly more distinctive than the average beverage innovation in the US by all types of consumers, even the groups of people who weren’t particularly sold on the idea and execution like older adults or those who don’t regularly drink CSDs. 

A notable mention goes to how differentiated it was seen by “Early Adopters,” with 94% of them saying they found Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice distinctive compared to other products available in market (vs 83% norm for the average US beverage innovation among Early Adopters). These are consumers who tend to try new products or services before the average person and are a crucial audience to attract when launching a new product. They tend to contribute disproportionately to sales, especially during the earliest stages of launch, and are also more likely to speak to others about the product, increasing reach. 

When it comes to advantage, Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice scores in line with the average US beverage innovation although directionally below (advantage T2B: 44.1% vs 49.4% norm). It makes sense that consumers wouldn’t necessarily rate the innovation as significantly superior compared to what already exists in the market, given the vast majority of the revamped range are Fanta flavors that have been widely available for some time, only in a different packaging.

Nevertheless, the type of individuals who were more excited to try the range were also significantly more likely to see it as more advantageous versus the average consumer. Almost 60% of adults under 45, regular CSD drinkers and Beetlejuice fans said Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is better than other products currently available. 

What do they like about it?

People absolutely loved the look and feel of the Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice range. The top attributes associated with the innovation were also all associated with its design and the type of experience consumers feel they would get when purchasing. Over half of respondents (54%) agreed it’s “ideal for Halloween,” 48% said it “has cool packaging” and over a third (36%) felt “it would be fun to drink.” 

The link to the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel is highly praised with people thoroughly enjoying the fact that each flavor showcases a different character. A minority even talk about buying the cans as collectable items! 

The variety of flavors were seen as highly appealing and the uniqueness of the new apple variant was intriguing to consumers, with many saying they hadn’t seen an apple-flavored carbonated soft drink before. People also really enjoyed the fact they can interact with the range through QR codes that allow them to access exclusive experiences and a chance to win movie tickets. 

Here’s what people had to say about Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice:

• "I like the fact that it has Beetlejuice on the cover. I also like the fact that it's a unique flavor and that it is apple. I think I would enjoy a carbonated apple drink."

• "I love the movie Beetlejuice and I'm very excited for the sequel. I also enjoy Fanta drinks, and these flavors sound tasty."

• "I like that it's a unique and interesting flavor that is perfect for the Halloween season. It's also a great way to show your love for Beetlejuice, one of the most iconic characters in horror movie history."

• "I love both Winona and Keaton and have seen this movie many times. I would get these just as collectors items."

• "Such a cult classic. Beetlejuice. The novelty is not lost on the iconic brand that is Fanta. This is a fun/unique idea. Love it! Quite clever."

• "I like how it’s a promo for the new Beetlejuice movie which is coming out. Plus I haven't heard of an apple pop."

• "Love the Beetlejuice collab and feel like I at least need the can in my life if the drink doesn't taste good."

• "I love that Fanta is bringing the fun back. Like the good ole days. I appreciate the effort to promote a cool movie such as this. I love the youthful and fun aspect of this idea."

Naturally not everyone found the link to Beetlejuice appealing and a number of people called out the fact that without a zero sugar option, Fanta x Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels unhealthy and potentially too sweet. However, the biggest sticking point for those who did not like the range was actually the apple flavor. Many expressed the fact that they don’t typically enjoy apple-flavored drinks or felt like it might taste a bit too artificial. 

Nevertheless, when looking at the appeal of each individual flavor and how likely respondents would be to buy each, the apple flavor fared quite well against the bunch. Just as many people said they would be likely to buy the haunted apple variant as they would the orange one, which is Fanta’s best selling flavor. Additionally, fewer people said they wouldn’t buy it over some of Fanta’s core flavors like grape, lemon and pineapple. 

All in all, Fanta is set for another successful Halloween season with this very clever partnership that capitalizes on one of the most current and topical fantasy horror franchises!

What did you think? Let us know by interacting with our coverage of the product on LinkedIn.

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