Kraft scraps Diet in favor of South Beach Living

CHICAGO Kraft Foods this month is rechristening its South Beach Diet line of foods to South Beach Living because the company believes “diet” carries negative connotations about a product’s taste and brings to mind older consumers struggling to loose weight. Additionally, “diet” seemed to limit Kraft’s South Beach line to those who wanted to lose weight, instead of appealing to a growing demographic that simply wants to eat healthy.

“Living,” on the other hand, suggests more youthful consumers pursuing a health natural lifestyle.

“We think [the name change] is going to broaden the appeal of the brand and fuel its growth trajectory,” Howard Brandeisky, Kraft’s vice president for strategic marketing initiatives, told the Chicago Tribune.

By swapping out “diet” for “living,” Kraft is striving to make South Beach more of a lifestyle brand, according to John Palumbo, founder of BigHeads Network, a marketing consulting firm. For a brand like South Beach, the goal is to position the product as part of a healthy, natural lifestyle, and the word “living” helps accomplish that better than “diet,” he added.

Kraft first rolled out its South Beach line in 2005 and currently features 70 products ranging from frozen entrees to snack bars and salad dressings. The line has been successful for Kraft, this year having been named by Information Resources Inc. as one of the “Product Pacesetters” for 2006.