• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, April 18, 2013

Dannon Oikos and Allegra were respectively the most successful food/beverage and non-foods CPG brands introduced between 2011 and 2012, according to the newly released 2012 New Product Pacesetters rankings from Information Resources, Inc./IRI (formerly SymphonyIRI).

Out of nearly 1,900 CPG brands launched in that time frame, 11% qualified for “Pacesetter” status.

The Pacesetters -- the top 100-selling food/beverage launches and the top 100 non-foods launches -- each generated more than $13 million in year-one sales across the retail channels, averaging $39.5 million. 

Winning Food/Beverage Brands

The Dannon Greek yogurt brand generated $283.8 million in first-year sales, far outperforming the impressive $198.9 million for the next-largest selling food/beverage introduction, Starbucks K-Cups.

The other top 10 food/beverage pacesetters: Bud Light Platinum ($162.2 million); TruMoo ($158.3 million); Breyers Blasts! ($147.3 million); MiO ($127.6 million); Sparkling ICE ($122.7 million); Nature Valley Protein Bars ($95.7 million); Orville Redenbacher’s Pop Up Bowl ($92.1 million); and Daily’s Frozen Pouches ($89.2 million).

These winning food/beverage launches addressed consumer demands including wellness, convenience, cross-occasion eating/snacks-as-meals, and “intelligent indulgence,” noted IRI.

Among the top 100 food/beverage launches, first-year sales averaged $43.4 million.

Non-Foods Winners

Among non-foods CPGs, Allegra -- which transitioned from prescription to OTC -- was the leader, generating $342.6 million in its first year. The next-best seller was Colgate Optic White, with $141.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 non-foods launches were PetArmor ($126.4 million): Mucinex Fast-Max ($84.6 million); Crest Complete Multi-Benefit ($82.9 million); Huggies Little Movers Slip-On ($82.2 million); Milo’s Kitchen ($79.3 million); Febreze Car Vent Clips ($69.5 million); Olay Body Collections ($64.5 million) and Carefree Acti-Fresh ($61.1 million). 

IRI’s numbers reflect first-year sales in grocery, drug and mass-market retailers (this year including Wal-Mart), dollar stores, club stores and military commissaries. To be eligible for inclusion in the analysis, a product must have completed a full first year on the market within calendar year 2012. 

Enabling professional grooming/beauty results at home and keeping pets healthy and happy continued were among the key success drivers.

Average first-year sales among the top 100 non-foods launches were $36.1 million.