For the first time in more than 30 years, JM Smucker’s Jif refreshed its branding to expand beyond its traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich roots and establish itself across more snacking occasions.
The overhaul comes as consumers increasingly replace conventional meals with snacks, creating opportunities for brands that can offer convenient snacking options.
The redesign features an updated version of Jif’s signature tri-color logo, refreshed imagery showing complementary snacks like celery or apple slices and a rename of Jif To Go to Jif Dippers, according to the brand.
Sandwiches remain a growth driver for JM Smucker
Jif’s rebrand follows several years of product innovation aimed at broadening consumers’ use of peanut butter beyond sandwiches, a go-to snack for children in the US, including the portable Jif Dippers and Squeezable Jif.
While Jif is expanding its positioning beyond sandwiches, its parent company JM Smucker continues to grow in the peanut butter sandwich space through its rapidly growing Uncrustables brand. The frozen sandwiches passed the $1 billion sales mark in Q4 and attracted 3 million new households, according to the company.
Jif’s brand refresh and product line align with broader trends within the $1.7 billion peanut butter market, which is shaped by protein and portioned, convenient formats.
A modern look for an evolving consumer
The cleaner, bolder design is intended to stand out across physical and digital shelves while remaining consistent across channels, according to Shelly Kowal, marketing director, The JM Smucker Co.
As competition for snacking occasions grows beyond traditional spreads to include protein bars, yogurt, nuts and portable snacks, established brands increasingly are broadening their relevance beyond core uses.
“This brand refresh and new campaign reflects our understanding of evolving consumer preferences and the opportunity we have to play an even greater role in snacking occasions now and into the future,” Kowal said.
JM Smucker said the changes are intended to reflect evolving consumer preferences around convenience, variety and snacking throughout the day.
Snacking habits reshape peanut butter consumption
The brand refresh reflects a broader industry push to capture growing snacking demand, with brands increasingly competing for occasions once held by traditional meals.
More than half (56%) of Americans are replacing conventional meals with snacks or smaller meals, according to Spins data. Further, Circana numbers revealed consumers are snacking three or more times daily creating what the market research firm describes as the “fourth meal.”
