Hot Pockets is hoping a "Better Taste. Better Quality" campaign will appeal to maturing millennials.
Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the microwaveable turnover maker, owned by Nestlé, is targeting its aging core customers — teenagers and young adult men — with retooled sandwiches that taste better.
U.S. sales of Hot Pockets fell $30 million from 2009 to 2010 and the company laid off employees last year.
The hope is improved ingredients, including 100% Angus beef and hickory smoked ham, will draw consumers who are growing more concerned with the quality of their food.
After thirty years, Hot Pockets also is aiming to improve the brand's image. Part of a new ad featuring celebrity chef Jeff Mauro says the new recipes include "real cheese," even though the cheese was always real. The perception was that it was artificial before.