Hostess’ updated logo keeps its trademark red heart but brings a “more playful” font style, brighter color palette and new cloud-shaped border “celebrating the light and airy quality of every Hostess snack,” according to Orrville-based J.M. Smucker, which closed the $5.6 billion Hostess Brands Inc. acquisition just over a year ago.
“The new packaging will begin to roll out in January and will be reflected nationally across the entire portfolio, all packaging formats and in all distributions upon completion,” said Aundrea Graver, director of marketing at J.M. Smucker.
With the new packaging, the company said it aims to more effectively convey the taste and quality of Hostess snacks via stylized typography and updated product photography, as well as “delectable” product descriptions.
“We have revamped the way we present the Hostess brand and our sub-brands with this update,” Graver said. “In addition to the logo, the packaging redesign includes updated photography to better reflect the product quality, more appetizing descriptions to celebrate what makes each snack unique, and the introduction of stylized typography and a dedicated color scheme to offer a more modern look and feel.”
J.M. Smucker noted that, in consumer testing, the updated logo and new packaging creative were preferred over the brand’s previous visual presentation by a 2:1 ratio, with participants exhibiting enhanced perceptions around taste and modernity.
“One of my favorite aspects of the work are the subtle ‘easter eggs’ embedded in how we present the product brands,” Graver said. “We wanted to leverage the inherent strength of the Hostess parent brand while celebrating what makes each of our sweet baked snacks distinct, and we did just that.”
The refresh of the Hostess brand is designed to boost the brand’s appeal to new and younger consumers and heighten engagement among current purchasers of its snacks, J.M. Smucker said. Next up is a new advertising campaign slated to launch in the new year.
“The new advertising campaign for the brand is scheduled for calendar-year 2025,” Graver said. “While we can’t give too much away, the campaign will celebrate what makes the brand special and the unique way it fits into today’s culture.”
Hostess’ roster of sweet baked snacks is led by iconic products such as Donettes, Twinkies, Cupcakes and Ding Dongs and includes other all-day treats like Zingers, HoHos, Meltamors, SnoBalls, Fruit Pies, Baby Bundts and Kazbars. The lineup also features breakfast snacks like coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls, honey buns, danish and muffins.
“The launch of the new logo and packaging design is an exciting way to kick off the next chapter for this great brand and introduce ourselves to new fans,” said Christopher Balach, vice president of marketing at J.M. Smucker. “When we talk to consumers about the brand, the thing we hear again and again is about the joy it brings, and we were eager to celebrate the special feeling of enjoying a favorite Hostess treat through this work.”
News of the brand refresh comes a couple of weeks after Mark Smucker, chairman, president and chief executive officer of J.M. Smucker Co., outlined the company’s strategy to invigorate the Hostess brand’s sluggish performance.
In an analyst call on fiscal 2025 second-quarter results, Smucker said J.M. Smucker was “not satisfied with the current results of the Hostess brand,” echoing first-quarter comments when he said sales came in “below our expectations” for the company’s Sweet Baked Snacks business.
“The strategic rationale for the (Hostess Brands Inc.) acquisition remains strong, and we continue to be excited about the long-term outlook for the Hostess brand and its leadership position in the sweet baked goods category,” Smucker said. “The decisive actions we are taking reinforce our confidence in 4% net sales growth for the Hostess brand over the long term.”
