marketing

Pumpkin spice is rolling out earlier than ever

More and more Americans want the festive fall flavoring to drop sooner, report says.
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If you’re still basking in the glow of a good summer sunburn, you might have missed the fact that kids are returning to school and restaurants are starting to chuck fistfuls of cinnamon at their menus. It’s fall, baby.

Almost. Maybe not time for flannels, but certainly time for brands to shift gears away from their summer fare. Here’s what we’re seeing:

  • This week, Dunkin’ introduced its pumpkin-spiced menu earlier than ever before.
  • The fabled Pumpkin Spice Latte is expected to return to Starbucks menus on Tuesday, in line with previous rollouts.
  • Halloween candy is showing up earlier than ever, due to fears that trick or treating may be threatened because of Covid, reports CNN.

General Mills is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Monster cereal collection, shoving Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry, Frute Brute, and Yummy Mummy all into one box. The campaign includes a remake of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” and a behind-the-music mockumentary.

1+: One in four US adults say late August is the time when pumpkin spice products should return, according to a Morning Consult poll, up from 19% last year.

Bucking the trend: In a reversal that’ll surely anger the foliage gods (and men), Native Deodorant is killing off its pumpkin spice deodorant, taking out a full-page ad in The New York Times and calling for a “roast” of the scent, according to Adweek.

But if you can’t get enough pumpkin, this year you can drown your sorrows in Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles.—RB

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