NEWS: Angel Delight, Galaxy, Marmite and Roses

Angel Delight: A recent study has found Angel Delight to be the nation's most beloved childhood dish with consumers commenting that it evoked strong memories of birthdays and summertime. Personally, on just the desserts and puddings front, I would have gone with something like a traditional homemade crumble or steamed pudding having grown up with my family's wonderful Sunday Dinners. Then again, everyone to their own.

To read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/angel-delight-voted-nations-favourite-5937642

Galaxy: Mars has added two new permanent additions to its Galaxy range under the name, 'Duet Bars'. The bars will feature two flavours - 'Cookies and Cream' and 'Caramel and Shortcake' - which will separately flavour the chocolate allowing consumer to choose whether they eat just one flavour at a time or both simultaneously. Retailing at 60p each, expect to see these bars in stores come August.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2015/06/mars-launches-new-galaxy-duet-bars/

Marmite: It's summer so Marmite have decided to release a limited edition spread made with lager yeast. Apparently, this special yeast will make the spread a light, summery one. The product will come in two jars, ‘Summer of Love’ and ‘Summer of Hate’, which will sport illustrations inspired by the 60's. Moreover, only 94 'Summer of Hate' jars will be released nationally making them a fun collectors item. The jars are expected to retail at £3.49.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2015/06/marmite-unveils-limited-edition-summer-spread/

Roses: Cadbury has redesigned its iconic Roses carton, first released in 1938. A concave top has been applied to the carton's body to carve out a more distinctive look on store shelves. The new packaging will also be brought in for Cadbury Heroes and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Segsations.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/design/new-packs/cadbury-roses-iconic-dorothy-carton-updated/

NOSTALGIA HIT: 80's Mars 'A Mars a day help you work, rest and play'

After yesterday's Galaxy ad and its 'interesting' portrayal of the bar, I thought I would share this 80's ad for Mars which can be summed up ten seconds in by the line, 'all the goodness that's in a Mars...milk, sugar, glucose and thick, thick chocolate'. Got to love them for trying!

NOSTLAGIA HIT: 70's Galaxy 'The Goodness Chocolate'

After my earlier post on Galaxy's new salted caramel offering I thought I would finish things off today with a nostalgia hit for this popular brand of milk chocolate. Featuring a farmer who carries around of a seemingly melt-proof bar of Galaxy whilst ploughing the fields, this ad reassures us that the brand is 'part of country living...the way things ought to be', hmm.

NEW PRODUCT: Galaxy Salted Caramel

Salted caramel has been a relatively big trend of recent times with it popping up in everything from supermarket offerings to restaurant menus. Therefore, it was no surprise to me to see that Mars had got on board with a new variant for their Galaxy brand of milk chocolate.  

THOUGHTS

Packaging:

This Galaxy variant very much employed the signature design notes of the core offering with the cursive brand name text styled after molten chocolate and a backdrop of browns, golds and yellows. The key design addition came in at the bottom where a 'wave' rises from left to right. The colour split in this wave design nicely reinforced the text displayed and the vivid blue provided a strong point of contrast to draw in the eye. Overall, I thought all components worked well together to impress upon the eye a strong sense of fluidity that was very supportive of the key caramel selling point.

The wrapper's underside presented a pretty plain, no-thrills design. The white text was set off nice and clearly by the darker background and content didn't feel overly cluttered in.

Bar:

Coming in two thin bars, this offering looked great out of the wrapper. The fingers of chocolate were elegant in appearance and the added detail of the 'G' inscription with wavy lines above and below it - picking up on the caramel theme again - gave the product a sense of class. Taking a segment, the relatively soft set caramel lusciously pulled apart leaving strands hanging out of both the piece taken and the remaining bar making seconds and thirds a very hard thing to resist. 

Taste-wise, this is where the product really excelled itself for me. The Galaxy chocolate was beautifully smooth and milky as ever but the star of the show was the filling. The addition of salt to the caramel enhanced the flavour and gave it a depth that was beyond the simplicity of a nice sugary hit. 

SUMMING UP

The wrapper design keyed in to the core brand look and had a lovely sense of sophistication and fluidity about it that picked up on the key selling points of the bar. Moreover, the flash of blue to highlight the 'salted caramel' text provided a strong point of contrast in the design and helped attract the eye when looking over the shelves. Unwrapping, the sleek fingers of chocolate were very attractive with a distinctly elegant feel to them. Taking a bite, as lovely as the milk chocolate was, the salted caramel stole the show for me. Rather than just a nice sugary hit, the caramel had a certain maturity and depth of flavour to it that proved devilishly moreish. Indeed, on taste alone, I would give this bar a hearty GBD recommendation. 

BRAND LINKS

Galaxy Chocolate Website
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Galaxy Chocolate Twitter