Cuties are on the rise. Not cute, cuddly animals or small, precious toddlers. Rather, Cuties are a brand of Clementine – a small, seedless mandarin that is easier to peel than a standard naval orange. Cuties are changing the way that produce is advertised in the United States. Historically, the produce wars were fought between local produce vendors and mass market produce flown in from all over the globe. Cuties is changing the name of the produce game with both the catchy, memorable name for the product and an initial corner on the clementine market.
Just like Google and Coke, Cuties has made itself the brand associated with clementines. Customers do not ask a grocer where the clementines are located, they ask where the Cuties are. The appeal of the Cutie is found in the easy to remove peel, the easy to carry size, the lack of seeds and the adorable name. Citrus fans no longer have to fumble with the best way to remove the peel of an orange (a quick google search found that peeling an orange takes 13 steps and very messy fingernails), or the mess of biting into the orange segment and having juice from the orange spit in their face. The Cutie is a bite-sized citrus snack that is much easier to consume.
The Cuties brand was founded in the mid-90’s by Berne Evans of Sun Pacific after a harsh winter ruined much of the citrus crop for his company. He learned that clementines imported from Spain were selling well in some supermarkets and investigated whether the fruit could be grown in California. He then contracted with a grower to sell trees exclusively to his company, stalling other produce companies for a short period of time. The group focused on selling clementines in western states until 2011, when the group expanded distribution across the United States.
Much of the success of Cuties can be attributed to their marketing efforts. They capitalize on the size of the fruit being perfect for kids – providing an indelible link between Cuties the fruit and cutie-pie children. This advertising concept further solidified the memorable qualities of the Cutie brand.
A great name, timing and a successful marketing campaign have brought Cuties and the produce market to a never-before-seen level of consumerism.
Reference
Jordan, Miriam (2012, July 13). The big war over a small fruit. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304373804577521241458781700.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLETopMiniLeadStory
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