Photo: New "Cinnamon Melt"launched today by McDonalds JapanBook - Sensory and Consumer Research in Food Product Design and Development
Review by JapaneseCustomer.com
Copyright, 2008, All rights reserved.
"Cinnamon Melts" a deliciously addictive sweet launched today at McDonald's Japan. Launched in the USA in 2006. The new sweet will add weight to the new premium roast coffee strategy adopted earlier in the year. Recent additions to the strategy include the McBakery line of three pastry products (sugar croissant, melon pan and choco danish). The addition of Cinnamon Melts boosts the line and makes it more robust.
The new sweet is clearly aimed at making McDonald's a new destination for Japanese coffee drinkers and sweet eaters, who in the current economic climate are looking for value for money anywhere they can get it.
Before the launch we considered if the product may be altered to adjust to Japanese palates, for example: reduced sugar content and reduced calories. We purchased a Cinnamon Melt in Tokyo this morning and by all accounts with out checking original USA launch data and Japanese product ingredients, we would be led to believe that the Japanese product is a direct copy of the USA product from our taste test, we may be corrected on this but this is our initial assessment. The taste is rich, full bodied and takes the eater on a dreamy cruise. It has more punch than a "Cinnabon". The difference between the two products, Cinnamon Melts and Cinnabon is that Cinnabon is a dry pastry, whereas Cinnamon Melt is a wet pastry, that is it is served hot and has a runny sauce. The sauce reinforces the taste. When the eater brushes their eating utensil toward the bottom of the product the strong tasting sauce adds to the pastry content and makes the taste a full blown sensation.
No such surprise here with the new "Cinnamon Melt" it is full taste and a real bonus for coffee drinkers who enjoy the bitter taste of coffee with a balancing sweet pastry taste. If this theme takes off in Japan it will be a success. Also as we are coming in to the autumn season and the weather cools down, a warm product could be just what customers want when they take a break.
Will the new product impact major competitor Starbucks Japan? The new pastry adds to the premium roast coffee strategy by offering depth to the product line up, image and range. Priced at 290 yen, it is well placed to please coffee drinkers. A premium roast coffee costs 120 yen, up 20 yen with a recent price rise and when the Cinnamon Melt is added the order the total experience adds up to 410 yen. A pretty clumsy price combination but it still comes in under 500 yen which is an important consumer price point in Japan. Starbucks USA has new coffee offers for drinkers through two new initiatives, namely afternoon discounts and a new range of banana based products. No new coffee initiatives (cold pre-made Starbucks branded products available in some convenience stores) yet in Japan except for the recent launch of the new sandwich range "Filone", which adds to foods that complement coffee products.
It is a shame that the recent coffee price increase took premium roast coffee off the 100 yen menu. In one sense it is negative and could lose customers who refuse to pay the increase or it could help to take the brand out on its own as a stand alone product with its own team (McBakery and Cinnamon Melt) which could later be relaunched as a family, particularly when McCafe rolls out further.
In summary, the new "Cinnamon Melt" is a good addition to the existing menu, adds a reason for new customers to visit the store, adds a new product as the season changes and the weather cools, rewards existing coffee drinkers, adds a full tasting western product to the menu, adds a new taste to the menu, adds a new product to the existing and well branded premium roast coffee strategy, acts as an enticement for those who watch American TV drama and have heard of cinnamon sweets (mums and kids) and finally keeps attention on McDonald's as a coffee provider.
Video: Cinnamon Melt in Japan
The new sweet is clearly aimed at making McDonald's a new destination for Japanese coffee drinkers and sweet eaters, who in the current economic climate are looking for value for money anywhere they can get it.
Before the launch we considered if the product may be altered to adjust to Japanese palates, for example: reduced sugar content and reduced calories. We purchased a Cinnamon Melt in Tokyo this morning and by all accounts with out checking original USA launch data and Japanese product ingredients, we would be led to believe that the Japanese product is a direct copy of the USA product from our taste test, we may be corrected on this but this is our initial assessment. The taste is rich, full bodied and takes the eater on a dreamy cruise. It has more punch than a "Cinnabon". The difference between the two products, Cinnamon Melts and Cinnabon is that Cinnabon is a dry pastry, whereas Cinnamon Melt is a wet pastry, that is it is served hot and has a runny sauce. The sauce reinforces the taste. When the eater brushes their eating utensil toward the bottom of the product the strong tasting sauce adds to the pastry content and makes the taste a full blown sensation.
No such surprise here with the new "Cinnamon Melt" it is full taste and a real bonus for coffee drinkers who enjoy the bitter taste of coffee with a balancing sweet pastry taste. If this theme takes off in Japan it will be a success. Also as we are coming in to the autumn season and the weather cools down, a warm product could be just what customers want when they take a break.
Will the new product impact major competitor Starbucks Japan? The new pastry adds to the premium roast coffee strategy by offering depth to the product line up, image and range. Priced at 290 yen, it is well placed to please coffee drinkers. A premium roast coffee costs 120 yen, up 20 yen with a recent price rise and when the Cinnamon Melt is added the order the total experience adds up to 410 yen. A pretty clumsy price combination but it still comes in under 500 yen which is an important consumer price point in Japan. Starbucks USA has new coffee offers for drinkers through two new initiatives, namely afternoon discounts and a new range of banana based products. No new coffee initiatives (cold pre-made Starbucks branded products available in some convenience stores) yet in Japan except for the recent launch of the new sandwich range "Filone", which adds to foods that complement coffee products.
It is a shame that the recent coffee price increase took premium roast coffee off the 100 yen menu. In one sense it is negative and could lose customers who refuse to pay the increase or it could help to take the brand out on its own as a stand alone product with its own team (McBakery and Cinnamon Melt) which could later be relaunched as a family, particularly when McCafe rolls out further.
In summary, the new "Cinnamon Melt" is a good addition to the existing menu, adds a reason for new customers to visit the store, adds a new product as the season changes and the weather cools, rewards existing coffee drinkers, adds a full tasting western product to the menu, adds a new taste to the menu, adds a new product to the existing and well branded premium roast coffee strategy, acts as an enticement for those who watch American TV drama and have heard of cinnamon sweets (mums and kids) and finally keeps attention on McDonald's as a coffee provider.
Video: Cinnamon Melt in Japan
Book - Sensory and Consumer Research in Food Product Design and Development
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