- Elaine Wong
Branded retail locations have helped sell computers and footwear for years. Now, toaster pastries are getting in on the action, with one iconic brand enjoying significant buzz from its recent foray into New York’s Times Square.
Pop-Tarts World debuted Aug. 11 at 42nd Street, between 6th Avenue and Broadway. Joining other packaged-goods brands like M&M and Hershey in establishing a retail fixture at one of the world’s great crossroads, P-T World boasts an everything Pop-Tarts-inspired café (menu items include ants on a log and the Fluffer Butter) and fan merchandise. The store sees 1,500 to 2,000 visitors per day.
Since the launch, the brand’s buzz has improved on the Web, with positives rising to 88 percent from 74 percent before the brick-and-mortar launch, per interactive marketing shop Zeta Interactive. Some of the words most commonly associated with Pop-Tarts are “memory/memories,” “great” and “fun,” Zeta found — solid associations for any brand. Plus, the tone of posts surrounding the brand has become more positive as well.
The brand is even overtaking familiar competitors. Measured in terms of average daily volume (i.e., the number of online daily posts), Pop-Tarts’ popularity is currently 16 percent higher than Wheaties, 18 percent above Cheerios, 22 percent more than Frosted Flakes and well ahead of breakfast food juggernaut Quaker Oats at 84 percent.
That says a lot about the brand, particularly one that has taken a backseat to more healthful (and non-toaster-required) grab-and-go morning fare like Kellogg siblings Nutri-Grain, Kashi and Special K. Sigue leyendo →
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Good news for any New Yorker who hates interacting with others during their daily commute (read: all New Yorkers): 
