Opinion BY Armin

Sharapova’s Gummies

Launched last week, Sugarpova is a new line of twelve premium gummy candies in different, self-described “fun, unexpected” types and shapes imagined and “sold” by tennis superstar Maria Sharapova — hence, the product’s name — who is not just one of the great women tennis players of our time winning 27 WTA singles titles that include four Grand Slam singles titles but, at 25 years old, she is also a very astute business person, ranking 26 in Forbes’ World’s Highest Paid Athletes list that shows that $22 million of her total $27.9M earnings to date come from endorsements. Sugarpova will be sold at fashion store Henri Bendel in New York, available at hotel minibars, and at their own website. The new logo and packaging was designed by Brooklyn, NY-based Red Antler.

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Opinion BY Armin

Eye Candy, Literally

The Grand America is a luxury hotel in Salt Lake City, UT. With 775 rooms, the 24-story hotel is one of the select few to earn the title of AAA Five Diamond Hotel. Apart from fancy rooms with “Murano crystal chandeliers, handcrafted Richelieu furniture, English wool carpets, Carrera Italian marble, and the finest fabrics,” the hotel features a handful of high-end stores, including the brand new JouJou: A Curious Boutique for Toys and Treats. Local firm Struck was in charge of developing this whole new little world.

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Opinion BY Armin

Gaga for GooGoo

First sold in 1912 and claiming to be the world’s “first ever combination candy bar”, a GooGoo Cluster is a rocky mound of caramel, marshmallow nougat, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate produced by Standard Candy Co. in Nashville, Tennessee. The GooGoos are as much an icon of the city as its music and have an app of their own to locate stores across Nashville that sell them. They are also quite popular in the Southern part of the U.S. with devotees as far North as Canada. A logo and package redesign by Atlanta, GA-based Green Olive Media was introduced last year — as part of a larger effort that included spinning off GooGoo Cluster into its own company and a new recipe — but with the centenary of the candy in full swing, there is more GooGoo Cluster fever than ever.

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