The Lift of the Limited Time Offer: How a Special Offering Can Boost Your Brand

Why Limited Time Offers Work

It’s no secret that LTOs can work wonders for a product line. They can generate additional returns and expose new consumers to the brand. Data shows that for LTOs, companies can ask for higher prices or sell smaller pack sizes for the regular price. Consumers are less sensitive to pricing with these types of offers since they tend to be driven by emotions when compared to other product purchases.

3 Ways to Jazz Up Your LTO

For foods and beverages, appearance is paramount when it comes to LTOs. Whether it’s bold colors, sparkly toppings, or clever packaging, LTOs will get the most mileage if they are designed to be Instagrammable. People eat with their eyes, and until they can taste the product, their purchase decision will be based largely on what they see.
With that in mind, here are three strategies for creating a successful LTO:

1. Seasonal Offerings

Seasonal offerings include holidays, as well as popular events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Seasonal LTOs should embrace flavor associations where possible, such as pumpkin spice for autumn, but should always deliver on visual expectations. 

This can range from orange and black for Halloween with pumpkin and ghost shapes to red and green for Christmas with trees and stars. Rainbow colors are expected for Pride Month, although Skittles’ LTO was all gray to emphasize that only one rainbow matters during Pride Month.

2. Celebrity or Brand Collaboration

Collaborations with popular brands or celebrities are another way to connect with new consumers by tapping into their fan base. Lady Gaga Oreos is a recent example that generated a lot of press. These LTO Oreos are visually striking—pink on the outside with a green filling and embossed with various images from the singer’s Chromatica album.
For kids’ products, such as kids’ yogurts, breakfast cereals, or snack bars, LTOs with animated characters from popular kids’ movies or TV shows is a tried-and-true approach. Collaborations with charities like the American Cancer Society for breast cancer awareness to offer pink products or packaging can make consumers feel good about the purchase and the brand.

3. User-Generated Social Media Trends

In the age of social media, ideas can come from anywhere. Consider the unicorn toast that went viral after a food stylist posted her creation. Adding vibrant colors to cream cheese spread on toast captured people’s imaginations, giving rise to a variety of unicorn foods, including Starbucks’ Unicorn Frappuccino.

User-generated food trends are now being showcased and shared on TikTok, as well as Instagram. Dalgona coffee, pancake cereal, and cloud bread are a few of the latest. Even pro chefs are sharing their ideas on social media. An LTO inspired this way positions a brand as on-trend and taps into the excitement of the day.

Make Your LTO Sparkle

Whether you’re considering an LTO based on a season, celebrity, or social trend, our EdiSparklz^® Edible Glitter can give your product the eye-catching appeal it needs to please consumers. EdiSparklz comes in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes and works as a topping or inclusion.

Contact Glanbia Nutritionals to learn more about using EdiSparklz, our original edible glitter, to make your LTO sparkle.