KEEBLER TO CROSS-SAMPLE ITS ELFIN DELIGHTS COOKIES

LISA SAXTON

ELMHURST, Ill. -- There are cross-sampling plans in store this year for Keebler Elfin Delights cookies.

The company expects to run linked demonstrations in supermarkets for the reduced-fat line using other products from Keebler Co. based here as well as products from other vendors, said Tim Maxwell, brand manager for Elfin Delights. Good results from prior dual-brand demonstrations, such as a cross-promotion with Diet Coke last year, have led the company to seek more such opportunities, he said.

Maxwell said Keebler recently completed a two-month national demonstration program for Elfin Delights that encompassed roughly 20,000 supermarkets across the country. For the most part, the cookies were demonstrated with Keebler's CC Ricers, a new product from the company's salty snack division.

"There were some stores that just had Elfin Delights and some that just had CC Ricers. But the vast majority paired the two together, just for economies of scale," said Maxwell.

"This makes it a little bit easier for the retailers and ourselves," he added. "It's more cost-efficient when you put the two products together."

As for the promotion itself, he said, "Typically, Keebler is pretty good about getting end-aisle displays. And we had a temporary price reduction as well as handing out coupons."