'Cookie Coverage' sets new ground for product policies
Aiming to guarantee customer satisfaction following a recipe update, an ice cream maker ushers in Cookie Coverage.
Consumer packaged goods manufacturers take big risks when updating product formulations and packaging, toying with the possibility of irritating the incredibly tight bond consumers have with their favorite snack brands.
In the spring of 2010, SunChips tasted consumers’ wrath after introducing the world’s first 100% compostable chip bag. The mantellic packaging produced a sound too granting for consumers’ delicate aural senses, and the update was pulled. Similarly, the now-defunct New England Confectionery Co. irked candy lovers when it replaced bright, artificial colors in NECCO Wafers with natural colors, which have more muted tones. The change led to a 35% drop in sales, and two years later, the company reverted back to the previous recipe.
Aiming to make sure its customers are satisfied with an update to Breyers Cookies & Cream ice cream, Unilever North America has launched Cookie Coverage. The introduction of these policies coincided with National Insurance Awareness Day.
“We know fans will love the improved recipe, and there’s no better way to guarantee satisfaction than with the sweetest insurance policy ever,” Russel Lilly, vice president, Unilever Ice Cream USA, asserted in a release.
The formulation change includes 20% more cookie pieces, according to the company, which noted consumer-driven conspiracies prompted the update that cream dominated the frozen treat’s mix. Verifying this complaint was a slew of online reviews questioning the cookie content and offering comparisons to other brands. Yet some contrarians emerged, with one claiming an overabundance of cookies, which made the eating experience “so over the top rich.”
“If not completely satisfied with the cookie-to-cream ratio,” policyholders can file a claim and seek reimbursement in the form of a replacement tub of ice cream; flavor to be determined by the insured.
To be eligible, policyholders must be enrolled in a Cookie Coverage plan by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 21, 2021. The policy limit is $6.50, and policyholders may only file one claim. For an insured to be reimbursed, claims must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on August 31, 2021, or while supplies last.
Claims forms can be found here.
Related: