• Brandweek, Thursday, March 26, 2009 11 AM

PepsiCo's G2 and over-the-counter allergy relief medication Zyrtec topped the list of most successful product introductions last year, according to Information Resources Inc.'s annual New Product Pacesetters report. Experts say G2's success was all about the timing, Elaine Wong and Kenneth Hein report.

"It tapped into the burgeoning awareness among consumers of the high-calorie count even among healthy-positioned beverages like Gatorade and Vitaminwater -- PepsiCo itself having stoked that awareness with Gatorade sibling Propel's attacks on Vitaminwater," says Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights.

Johnson & Johnson's Zyrtec garnered $316 million in first-year sales since its January 2008 switchover from being a prescription-only medication. It benefited from its reputation as "fast-acting" relief to common allergy symptoms, as well as from a steep drop in price.

Overall, consumers crave brands with health and affordability claims, says IRI, which is releasing its findings at the CPG Summit in Las Vegas this week. The report encompasses both food and nonfood brands that have completed one full year of sales, have gained at least 30% national distribution and generated at least $7.5 million in sales in the food, drug and mass channels.

Read the whole story at Brandweek »