NEW YORK — Food and beverage brands held down 8 of the top 20 positions in Morning Consult’s list of fastest-growing brands for 2022 as low price points appealed to cost-conscious consumers.
Brands making the top 10 were STōK at No. 4, Great Value Cream Cheese at No. 8 and Gatorade Fit at No. 9. Other food and beverage brands in the top 20 included Chobani Smooth Yogurt at No. 11, Celsius at No. 13, Chobani at No. 16, Häagen-Dazs at No. 17 and Frito-Lay at No. 18.
“In a year of historic inflation, consumers’ tighter wallets impacted purchasing consideration for brands across industries,” said Joanna Piacenza, head of industry intelligence at Morning Consult.
Washington-based Morning Consult determined rankings by measuring growth in the share of consumers who said they would consider purchasing from a brand over the course of the year.
Meta was the fastest-growing brand overall. The share of consumers saying they would consider Meta stood at 19.3% in October, which compared with 12.8% in January.
STōK Cold Brew’s percentage increased to 10% from 7.2%. The percentage for Great Value Cream Cheese jumped to 33.4% in October from 30.9% in January while Gatorade Fit saw an increase to 20.7% from 18.3%.
Chobani Smooth Yogurt’s percentage increased to 37.7% from 35.3%. Chobani’s percentage increased to 33.2% from 31.3%.
“It’s been a year of expansion for Chobani as the company continues its transition from a yogurt brand to a more comprehensive portfolio with oat milk, creamers and other new offerings,” said Emily Moquin, food and beverage analyst for Morning Consult. “The investment in building up these new products has helped the core brand grow with consumers.”
The percentage for Celsius increased to 8.1% from 5.8%. PepsiCo, Inc. this year acquired an 8.5% ownership stake in Celsius Holdings, Inc., which manufactures energy and fitness beverages sold under the Celsius brand. Other increases were Häagen-Dazs to 40.2% from 38.3% and Frito-Lay to 59.7% from 57.8%.
Among millennials, STōK was the fastest-growing brand, followed by Gatorade Fit at No. 2 and DiGiorno Pizza at No. 3. When positioned against the pizza delivery market, DiGiorno provides value for financially strapped millennials, according to Morning Consult, which added millennials are cutting back from pickup or delivery at restaurants in general.
In Gen Z, Heinz was No. 15. In Gen X, ranked food and beverage brands included Doritos at No. 4, Krispy Kreme at No. 8, California Pizza Kitchen at No. 13, Smucker’s at No. 15 and 3 Musketeers at No. 15.
“The food and beverage category tends to do well in economically tense times, which means this year Gen Xers are responding positively to efforts from a number of brands in the category,” Ms. Moquin said. “What’s more, our data shows Gen Xers’ healthy eating intentions are waning under the weight of inflation.”
Among baby boomers, Great Value Cream Cheese, Dr Pepper and Chobani Smooth Yogurt held the No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 spots, respectively. Other ranked brands were The Coca-Cola Co. at No. 12, Cheerios at No. 13, Yoplait at No. 15 and Bisquick at No. 19.
