Partnerships between fast-food companies and snack food companies make a great marketing move, as they simultaneously catch the attention of customers.
Yum! Brands () -owned Taco Bell launched the Doritos Locos Taco in 2012.
The demand for taco chips made from Frito-Lay's Doritos corn chips was so high that the Tex-Mex business hired an employee from across the country in the midst of the discussions.
From Burger King's Mac N' Cheetos, Pizza Hut' Cheezit stuffed pizza, and Papa John's Chili Fritos Pizza, we saw the snack/fast-food concept in all 10 years.
This Time, What's The Snack/Fast Food Collab?
This time, it's Krispy Kreme () a growing vegetable company. It's a way of awakening to childhood snack cravings.
Three Donuts with the taste of General Mills () - Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal are just launched by the beloved American donut chain.
The donuts are available until May 5 (or, if the donuts turn out to be particularly popular, until supplies run out), and come in three versions: Cinnamon Milk Glazed Doughnut with Cream Cheese and Cinnamon Milk Glazed Doughnut with Dulce de Leche.
The three will have a glaze inspired by the cinnamon-tinged milk that children of the 1990s and early 2000s remember from their childhood, while the other two will have the iconic toast-shaped cereal pieces sprinkled on them.
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"Pour on the yum with our three delicious flavors made with, Cinnamon Milk Glaze, topped with swirls of cream cheese icing and drizzled dulce de leche," Krispy Kreme said in an on April 25.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool, because immediately after launching the new donut collection, Krispy Kreme received tens of thousands of posts on how the combination is "fire."
Partnerships with frozen foods keep happening because they are working.
Fans of beer will remember that this isn't the first partnership between Krispy Kreme and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Last September, the donut chain released a with pieces of cereal sprinkled on top.
While the Krispy Kreme has not released precise data on how well the cinnamon rolls were sold, the return of the partnership indicates the demand for this type of item.
Some may be drawn to the taste of childhood nostalgia if your parents let you eat such a sugary cereal for breakfast, that is, while others may be just curious about the flavor of a cereal-flavored donut.
Neben Locos Tacos, Frito-Lay's very popular Flamin' Hot Cheetos flavor is also featured in Burger King's Flamin' Hot Mac N' Cheetos and Taco Bell Flamin' Hot Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos and the Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch in Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch.
Although not every "they combined what?!" creation will be a success, the internet attention such items can help keep the chain moving and propel it to better sales.
"These are part of a long-standing tradition of companies imagining new, somewhat outrageous, fast food and snack foods, such as more cheese, more meat, more layers, adding sauces, and [or] Cheetos, for crunch and a pop of flavor," said food historian Ashley Rose Young.
