7 CPG & QSR brands that nailed their innovations

As exciting as it is, we all know it isn't easy to launch a new product. 

Even the biggest, most well-resourced brands get it wrong sometimes. A new product hits the shelves and just doesn’t move. Maybe it’s too niche. Maybe it didn’t stand out. Maybe it solved a problem no one really had.

The reasons launches fail often boil down to this: the product didn’t meet a real consumer want or need in a way that made sense for the brand.

But what happens when brands incorporate consumer insights into their process from the start? Confidence that they’re meeting those needs.  

From expanding product lines to entering into a new country to releasing new flavors and more, here’s a few examples of real life innovations from brands who nailed it.

Before we dive in, here’s a look into how we define success. 

New products need to accomplish two key things: 

1. Entice consumers enough to want to try them 

2. Stand out from the competition and disrupt consumers’ purchase habits

With that in mind, we focus on two key metrics to determine success: Trial Potential and Breakthrough Potential. While Trial Potential is based on the product’s purchase likelihood, Breakthrough Potential is defined by how different and superior the product is perceived to be compared to what’s already in the market.  

We plot these scores on a classification grid to forecast a product’s performance in market and advise on the best launch strategy.

Now let's get into the list.

Expanding a product line can be a smart way to stay relevant, boost visits and attract new audiences. But only if it builds on what people already love about your brand. 

Wendy’s Frosty Swirls & Fusions are a great example of a product expansion that does both, proving that smart extensions of a beloved product can excite loyal fans and bring people back more often.

A bit of backstory: The Frosty was one of the first five items on the original Wendy’s menu in 1969. For decades it came in just one flavor: chocolate blend — a mix of chocolate and vanilla flavors, specifically designed to pair with the savory food on the Wendy’s menu. So this expansion to two new types of frosty, Swirls and Fusions, with six new flavors adding sauces and mix-ins to the classic Frosty is a big update for the fan favorite! 

How it landed

Wendy’s new offering landed in the top 5% of U.S. QSR innovations for both breakthrough and trial potential, earning a spot in our “scale and sustain” zone — a strong sign of wide appeal.

The product stands out in the market, with distinctiveness scores well above average (72.7% vs. 66.5%). It’s also viewed as significantly more advantageous than other QSR items (65.1% vs. 53.3%).

And crucially, consumers believe Wendy’s can deliver on the promise. With brand believability at 87.3% (vs. 80.6% norm), even longtime fans trust the brand to evolve the Frosty while staying true to its roots.

What really matters? This isn’t a product swap. Swirls & Fusions are incremental, with a 65.3% impact on order frequency, meaning they’re likely to boost how often people visit or how much they order.

💡 Takeaway for brands: Line extensions work best when they feel both fresh and familiar — enhancing core equity, not replacing it.

With so many well-known, legacy brands out there (especially in the alcohol category) it is certainly no easy feat to break through in the market. 

But Molson Coors took on the challenge with their new brand of Happy Thursday Spiked Refreshers — a smooth, fruity-flavored line of bubble-free spiked refreshers named in honor of the unofficial start of the weekend.

What makes it different from all the ready-to-drink (RTD) seltzers out there? Happy Thursday’s are a non-carbonated seltzer developed to meet Gen Z's demand for non-carbonated beverages. Molson Coors recognized the demand for hard seltzers and no carbonation, so they combined the two into a new brand with multiple flavors.

How it landed

Within the hard seltzer and canned cocktail space, Happy Thursdays landed in the top 45% for trial and top 30% for breakthrough — solid scores for a category known for fierce competition.

This puts the product in the seed and grow section of the matrix, meaning it has the potential to grow into something bigger — especially as the RTD category continues to grow. 

The product was designed for a very specific target: younger, legal age drinkers who enjoy RTDs but want a non-carbonated option. That narrow focus can limit trial potential overall, but because the base insight of the product is true beyond the target group (Gen Z isn’t the only audience put off by carbonation), there is further potential to scale.

As Molson Coors describes, Happy Thursday is a first-of-its-kind product in a carbonation-heavy category, and that distinctiveness is driving interest even beyond the core audience. 

💡 Takeaway for brands: Thoughtful innovation that solves a real consumer tension (in this case, the desire for a non-carbonated RTD option) can break through even when targeting a niche audience. A clear point of difference can drive broader appeal than expected.

RTD is a trending category among consumers today, and there are several ways brands may be trying to break through and drive trial. But you don’t always have to launch a completely new brand in order to do this — existing brands can extend into a new category when it makes sense. 

For example, White Claw, typically known for their original hard seltzers, wanted to take  on new RTD cocktails with its latest release for the summer, Clawtails. 

Marketed as “Not a seltzer. Not a cocktail. It’s a Clawtail.” these drinks leverage the brand recognition of White Claw but deliver traditional cocktail flavors that are premixed and ready to drink and made with real juice. 

With such strong brand recognition in the related category of hard seltzers, it makes sense White Claw would expand into canned cocktails.

How it landed

Clawtails fell in the top 20% of RTD beverage innovations in the US on both breakthrough potential and trial potential. This puts it in the “scale and sustain” section of our concept potential assessment framework, an incredible result for this new product line! 

💡 Takeaway for brands: You don’t always need to break the mold to win. Clawtails shows that leveraging brand strength, delivering on category expectations and doing familiar things better can drive success — especially when your core consumers already trust you to lead.

Playing with flavor profiles can be fun for both brands and consumers, but without proper research, there’s a greater chance it won’t end well. 

New flavors typically pop up around seasonal periods (Think: pumpkin in the fall, peppermint during winter holidays, etc). If done correctly, this can play a crucial role in helping a brand stay relevant and competitive.

A good example of this is Lindt’s Lindor Carrot Cake truffles, which launched during the spring season just in time for the Easter holiday. 

Lindt is well-known for limited-edition flavors of its chocolate truffles, often timed with seasons and holidays. But what makes this so interesting (as we found in our Easter candy analysis) is there are no clear flavors associated with Easter like there are for other holidays like Halloween and Christmas — aside from chocolate. The question was: did consumers agree that carrot cake made sense both for Easter and for Lindt?

How it landed

Lindt Lindor Carrot Cake made a bold impression. It scored in the top 2% of all U.S. food innovations for breakthrough potential — driven by an exceptionally high distinctiveness score (89.5% vs. 69.8% norm). That means consumers clearly see it as something new and different, and this perception is consistent across all demographic groups.

However, its trial potential lands in the lower third of our database, placing it in the “emergent” zone of our concept potential framework. While the red mark looks scary, this is common for ideas that spark curiosity among early adopters but may need time (or the right conditions) to gain mass appeal.

Overall, Lindt seems to be taking the right approach — starting small with a limited launch at Target to test and learn.

It’s also worth saying that the most likely reason this innovation is seen as incredibly distinctive but with a lower than average trial potential is that carrot cake is not a universally loved flavor (flavors can be a touchy subject with consumers!). So while trial potential is not incredibly high, we applaud Lindt for releasing a true Easter flavor.

💡 Takeaway for brands: Highly distinctive products like this one may not be immediate mass hits, but they can generate real momentum with early adopters. Consider launching at a smaller scale to build a base, gather feedback and refine the strategy before going bigger. Distinctiveness is the spark. Smart rollout is the fuel.

Bringing your product into a new country can bring on an array of challenges — from differences in taste preferences, brand familiarity or cultural associations.

The challenge is finding the right balance between offering something distinct while still feeling familiar enough to try. Take Lay’s All Dressed potato chips for example. A Canadian favorite that combines some of the most popular chip flavors —barbecue, sour cream & onion and salt & vinegar — into one. 

Bringing this flavor (that has proven popular in Canada) to the United States — especially after fans have been clamoring for it — makes complete sense. But did consumers feel the same way? 

How it landed

Lay’s All Dressed landed in the top 20% of all U.S. food innovations for breakthrough potential, though its trial potential was average, placing it in our “seed and grow” zone. That means the flavor is seen as highly unique and attention-grabbing, but not everyone is equally excited to try it — yet.

Driving that breakthrough score is the product’s strong distinctiveness: 82.7% of respondents rated it as distinctive, well above the category norm of 69.5%. Interestingly, even groups with lower purchase intent still saw the product as more distinctive than most other innovations.

In terms of advantage, however, Lay’s All Dressed performed more in line with the average (47.8% vs. 52.7% norm). That makes sense! After all, the flavor is a mash-up of familiar ones (like ketchup, salt & vinegar and BBQ), so it may not feel like a major leap forward in taste innovation, even if it’s something new to U.S. consumers.

💡 Takeaway for brands: When expanding internationally, uniqueness can spark interest, but trial will depend on how well the product connects with local tastes and expectations. For distinctive products like Lay’s All Dressed, targeted rollout and smart positioning can help build a fan base, especially when the offering taps into curiosity without straying too far from familiar ground.

Launching a product tied to a specific event, whether it's the Olympics, a major holiday or a pop culture moment, requires a different playbook than everyday innovation. 

These products aren’t meant to live forever; instead, their job is to capture attention quickly, spark excitement and drive short-term sales. For brands, it’s about creating just enough buzz and appeal to make consumers act fast. 

Long known as the creator of the popular peanut butter cup, Reese’s does an excellent job consistently creating seasonal shapes that are always a hit with consumers, because it takes what people love about Reese’s Cups and makes it appropriate for the season.

Their recent “Reese’s Medals” were created to celebrate the Summer 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in the form of chocolate, peanut butter-filled “medals” which were made available across the country during the Olympic games.

How it landed

Reese’s Medals ranked in the top 10% of food innovations for trial potential and the top 45% for breakthrough potential, placing them in the “short-term trial” zone of our framework. That’s where we typically see strong seasonal or limited-edition products land — broadly appealing, but not highly differentiated.

Consumer interest was also strong: 66% said they’d likely purchase (vs. 59% norm), and that jumped to 84% among weekly chocolate buyers. Early Adopters were especially enthusiastic with 93% stating they’d buy, well above the norm. This group is crucial in driving early sales and word-of-mouth buzz.

💡 Takeaway for brands: Innovation doesn’t need to have longevity to be successful. Seasonal or limited edition launches can be a great addition to your range to boost incremental sales over a set period and drive further engagement for your brand and category during a relevant time. 

Launching a startup in any CPG category is quite an undertaking. There’s a lot of competition, primarily from established players that have more brand awareness, bigger advertising budgets and more shelf space. Getting shoppers’ attention and encouraging trial of a new brand isn’t easy. 

And in crowded categories like personal care, it can be even tougher to truly stand out. With so many products promising similar benefits, breakthrough innovations need to offer something genuinely different and deliver on consumer expectations. Vacation’s Classic Whip SPF 50 — a sunscreen that looks just like edible whipped cream — is a strong example of a product that does both.

How it landed

Vacation’s Classic Whip SPF 50 scored in the top 2% for breakthrough potential and top 50% for trial, in our “seed and grow” zone — landing as highly distinctive, with strong appeal among certain groups. That’s a win for a startup brand!

Distinctiveness is strong (84.0% vs. 64.5% norm), with all consumer groups recognizing it as a standout innovation. And while advantage scores are more average (53.8% vs. 50.7%), they spike among certain groups, particularly skincare early adopters.

What’s most encouraging? Consumers find it credible — even if it’s surprising. Believability (80.4%) and surprise (17%) scores both beat category norms, showing that whipped sunscreen feels fresh and feasible.

💡 Takeaway for brands: In saturated spaces, delivering something truly different (without losing credibility) can spark excitement and growth, even with a niche audience. And appealing to early adopters, as this product does, is a great sign of future growth for the brand.

Consumers today are more selective, watching their spending and sticking with products that deliver real value. 

So if you’re going to invest in launching something new, you need to be confident there’s demand for it. And that confidence doesn’t come from gut feel. It comes from doing the research early — so you’re not guessing at launch, you’re knowing.

For more insight into how to de-risk your latest innovation, check out our guide where you’ll learn more about: 

• The importance of researching with consumers

• Why most product launches fail

• How to de-risk at every stage of innovation

• How leading brands use consumer insights to launch their next hit item

• What you need to know before launching a new product 

• The de-risking innovation checklist