Greek Yogurt

I love food marketing.  It's so much fun watching how a trend ignites, and then spreads, and then swells, and then well kind of goes away.  Low fat, non fat, low carb, red velvet, chocolate chip .. you name it.


The latest to my eye seems to be Greek yogurt.  There's a bit of a Greek yogurt war going on, with each brand introducing its own version and touting its features.  A short while back Chobani seemed to hit the ground running, and now everyone else is trying to pick up their share.  Most of the big guys are in it now, with Yoplait finally entering the game (although a bit late at this point).  Greek yogurt is about 25% of total yogurt sales, and just a couple years ago it was almost non-existent.

For me, Greek yogurt is nothing new.  I grew up eating it, and in fact we made it fresh at home.  Don't quite know how, but we did.  And it was amazing.  So when the craze hit grocery store shelves, I was all in.  The thicker and richer the better!

The fun part is seeing how Greek yogurt is now entering other categories as well.  One of my favorite brands of all time, Ben & Jerry's just introduced its line of Greek frozen yogurt.  A bunch of varieties that all look delicious.  I have not tried them yet, but I'm betting that they are thick and rich and full of protein just like their non-frozen counter parts.

So have you joined the movement ... what's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe North America
Author, The Experience Effect series
Professor, NYU