Brand development that increases sales velocity, guaranteed.

Here’s why Hidden Valley Launched This Format Extension

Hidden Valley isn’t chasing new households here, they’re engineering more consumption from existing ones. This upside-down squeeze bottle is less about convenience (although it’s certainly a selling point), it’s a buy-rate multiplier. Watch this video to see how performance-led innovation with a clear business case can drive incremental usage without diluting core equity.

1294 views
18 Likes
Jul 15, 2025
handwritten-signature-logo-v4
bg-christy-image

Description Description

Most innovation falls into one of two buckets: grow household penetration or increase buy rate. This launch clearly leans toward the second.

By shifting the ranch into an upside-down squeeze format, the brand isn’t trying to find new consumers. It’s targeting heavy users and creating more occasions. That’s a classic line-extension strategy designed to increase frequency. The “Easy Squeeze” callout works as both a format descriptor and a usage benefit, reinforcing convenience while subtly reframing how the product fits into everyday meals.

The shelf signage does the rest of the selling. Pairing the bottle with pizza imagery signals expanded use cases beyond salads and dips. That’s not a category extension. It’s a deliberate push to stretch existing behavior. In portfolio terms, this is a smart horizontal brand extension, same core product, new format, incremental consumption moments.

When done well, these moves defend share while increasing volume without disrupting brand equity. The real metric to watch isn’t trial. It’s whether ranch loyalists start reaching for it one more time per week.

transcript Video Transcript
transcript-icon
  • 00:00:00 Typically, when you're launching a new
  • 00:00:01 innovation, you're going to do it for
  • 00:00:03 one of two reasons. Hey everyone, it's
  • 00:00:05 Shopping with Christie. Hello. And today
  • 00:00:09 I'm at Kroger here in Colorado. It's
  • 00:00:11 called King Supers. I saw something that
  • 00:00:14 I thought was pretty interesting. Of
  • 00:00:15 course, as a consumer, you're going to
  • 00:00:16 look at that and think yuck or yum,
  • 00:00:18 depending on how you use ranch. But I
  • 00:00:21 want to kind of give you that brand
  • 00:00:22 management language and what I see with
  • 00:00:24 my eyes as I think about, okay, what's
  • 00:00:27 Hidden Valley really trying to do here?
  • 00:00:29 So, what I see going on, you know,
  • 00:00:30 they've got this wonderful sort of shelf
  • 00:00:32 talker right next to the product. It
  • 00:00:35 looks like this is a new format, right?
  • 00:00:37 A new packaging format. It's an upside
  • 00:00:39 down bottle with a squeeze on the
  • 00:00:41 bottom. And they've created just a call
  • 00:00:43 out here. Easy Squeeze. This bottle
  • 00:00:46 makes a lot of sense. It's kind of like
  • 00:00:48 a product name, but also a benefit to
  • 00:00:50 the consumer. And what's interesting
  • 00:00:52 about this, and this is really what I
  • 00:00:54 want to talk to you about, why would
  • 00:00:55 they launch this? And typically, you
  • 00:00:57 know, it tells me right here with my
  • 00:00:59 eyes, but I kind of want to break it
  • 00:01:00 down for you. Typically, when you're
  • 00:01:02 launching a new innovation, you're going
  • 00:01:04 to do it for one of two reasons. It's
  • 00:01:06 either going to increase household
  • 00:01:07 penetration, meaning you're getting new
  • 00:01:09 consumers to your category or your
  • 00:01:11 product, or you're going for buy rate.
  • 00:01:13 And buy rate means that it's the same
  • 00:01:16 person or household, let's call it, but
  • 00:01:19 you're trying to get one more occasion.
  • 00:01:21 Okay? So, both are very good ways to
  • 00:01:23 grow the category. both have pros and
  • 00:01:25 kind of cons to them, but typically, you
  • 00:01:28 know, this is what I'm imagining is
  • 00:01:30 happening here based on this signage.
  • 00:01:31 You can very clearly see it, right? So,
  • 00:01:33 Hen Valley probably knows that there are
  • 00:01:35 people out there that just love ranch,
  • 00:01:37 like super consumers of ranch, and
  • 00:01:39 they're finding formats and ways to make
  • 00:01:42 it even easier for you to use ranch on
  • 00:01:44 more and more. This, especially
  • 00:01:47 supported by this graphic here, would
  • 00:01:48 tell me this is a buy right play,
  • 00:01:50 probably not a household penetration
  • 00:01:52 play. Look, they're showing you, yes,
  • 00:01:54 it's now easy squeezy. And what's the
  • 00:01:56 occasion? Why would I need to squeeze it
  • 00:01:58 as opposed to, you know, their regular
  • 00:02:01 format over here, right? And they're
  • 00:02:03 showing you, oh, it's going to be easier
  • 00:02:05 for you to use it on everyday other fast
  • 00:02:08 items like pizza, right? and they're
  • 00:02:10 they're putting it right on that pizza
  • 00:02:12 almost giving you the idea, hey ranch
  • 00:02:14 superconsumer, while you're grabbing
  • 00:02:17 your ranch for your salad or to dip your
  • 00:02:21 fries in, whatever, here's yet another
  • 00:02:23 way you can use ranch right here. It's
  • 00:02:25 pizza and it's even easier now because
  • 00:02:28 you can just squeeze it right on there.
  • 00:02:30 So that's probably a bit of the business
  • 00:02:32 case why Hidden Valley even pursued this
  • 00:02:36 innovation, you know, and why it kind of
  • 00:02:38 made sense to them in terms of
  • 00:02:39 cannibalization of the category and why
  • 00:02:41 they would bend money educating
  • 00:02:43 consumers on this new usage education.
  • 00:02:46 So kudos to them. I really like ranch,
  • 00:02:49 so I might pick one up right now for my
  • 00:02:52 family.
Christy Lebor, Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, brings two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience (Kraft, PepsiCo, Unilever). Leverage her expertise in launching Axe Body Wash and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help your FMCG brand scale from disruptor to market leader.
Christy Lebor Partner & Head of Brand Development, SmashBrand
45 Articles

Christy Lebor is a Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, a premier brand development agency championing the FMCG space. With two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience, Christy harnesses her background from industry titans to infuse brands with a growth trajectory that transitions them from category disruptors to legacy brands.

Her portfolio includes:

  • Brand management roles at global giants: Kraft, PepsiCo, and Unilever.
  • Launching pivotal products: Axe Body Wash in the US and the original Dove Campaign for Real Beauty at Unilever.
  • Steering innovative product lines at PepsiCo: Gatorade chews, protein bars, Mio Fit, and Amino Energy.
  • Pioneering breakfast innovations at KraftHeinz: Just Crack an Egg
  • Leading the branded business segment and global innovation at JBS, the world's largest meat company in the world.

Prior to her tenure at SmashBrand, Christy's track record spans various senior management and development roles. Each role has honed her expertise in the intricacies of FMCG, enabling her to cultivate category advantages for brands. From SKU rationalization to directing pivotal innovation stage gates, Christy's acute expertise in FMCG has consistently placed her at the forefront of the industry. Her ability to make incisive, strategically sound decisions has been key in propelling brands to market leadership.

Her philosophy pivots on the principle that timely, relevant data, integrated with brand strategy, is the linchpin for brands aspiring to scale and establish market dominance. At SmashBrand, Christy intricately weaves this philosophy, ensuring brands are not just strategically poised but holistically developed.

Educationally, Christy is equipped with a BBA from The University of Michigan Business School, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and additional prowess in Private Equity and Venture Capital from Harvard Business School.

Learn more

Subscribe to
Nice Package.

SmashBrand’s Nice Package: Stay current with our latest insights

Free Resource.
CPG product repositioning guide.
CPG product repositioning guide.

Explore the five undeniable signs your CPG product needs repositioning along with strategies for leveraging consumer insights for a guaranteed market lift.

Download Whitepaper About CPG product repositioning guide.

Why Rao’s Soup Misses the Mark on This Packaging Design.

Rao’s is a pasta sauce powerhouse, but their soup packaging tells a different story.

456 views
4 Likes
Nov 26, 2025

This Retail Display Tells You Everything About a Brand in Trouble

A once-hyped CPG brand is showing serious signs of decline and it’s all right there on the shelf. In this short, Christy breaks down what the pricing, graphics, and display strategy are really saying (spoiler: it’s not good). If you’re in retail or brand management, you’ll want to see this.

2032 views
7 Likes
Nov 19, 2025

Why This Parent and CPG Marketer Secretly Loves This “White” Bread

A subtle copy change. A clear packaging strategy. And a parent who also happens to be a CPG marketer, instantly sold. This is how Sara Lee’s “white” whole grain bread nails the moment of truth at shelf—by speaking directly to its real buyer with just the right message. If you’re in CPG, this is the kind of packaging move that moves product.

747 views
17 Likes
Nov 05, 2025

Wait, Sargento Makes Crackers Now? Not Exactly

Sargento’s known for cheese, not crackers. But when we spotted “Cheese Bakes” in Chicago, we had questions. Is it a cracker? Is it cheese? And what does Nabisco have to do with it?

1835 views
13 Likes
Oct 29, 2025
View More Category Insights
1.
Follow Christy

Follow Christy for real-world shopper insights, brand wins, and weekly takes on what’s working in retail.

Follow Christy on description
2.
Subscribe on YouTube

Subscribe on YouTube for daily brand insights, shelf-winning strategies, and weekly retail breakdowns.

19,627 views
27+ Videos
Subscribe
3.
Don’t miss our Newsletter

Sign up for NICE PACKAGE, our newsletter on packaging design, CPG strategies, and real-world brand performance.