Cracker Jack'D

Proof once again that you can teach an old dog new tricks ... and that in marketing you can reinvent yourself despite your age or how out of touch you may seem.

Now I'm not talking about myself here, although I am certainly taking inspiration from the brand I'm featuring today.

Cracker Jack'D.  As in the old Cracker Jack now reinvented, you know the one from the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 that became a big household brand.  I'm sure every one of us have had them as kids, and probably none ever since.

I think it's fair to say that Cracker Jack is probably not seen as a super contemporary brand.  It doesn't feel like they've stayed as current as say 100 year old Oreo, for example.  Which I imagine is why the brand decided to completely reinvent with Cracker Jack'D ... Snacks with Impact, as they say.  Snacks for the "Don't Hold Back In You," as they also say.

These snacks are "jacked up" with flavor and ingredients, like the Power Bites which has a vanilla mocha flavor and the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.  Now there you go.

The website also "jacked up" with a lot of content, very cool content obviously targeted to heavy snackers, mostly of the younger male persuasion I would have to guess.  It's pretty easy to tell, actually.  Checkout #crackerjackd for even more consumer generated content as well.

I say "good for you!"  Every brand should be reinventing itself on a continual basis ... the longer the wait the bigger the reinvention.  Bravo.

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur