Gems of Opportunity: Gummy & Licorice Line of Jelly Belly Bean Candies

Hello All,

Many of us have had the great delight to enjoy the "Jelly Belly Bean" line of candies that come in up to 50 flavors. They are often marketed by the "Jelly Belly Candy Company" as gourmet jelly beans packaged similarly to a box of chocolate confections. My unique inspirational conceptual design today can be considered as an informal proposal to this company or one of its direct competitors in this global candy industry.

What I have in mind is to expand the Jelly Belly line of candies by opening up two potential fronts of candy product offerings. The first is to offer a line of Gummy Bean candies similar to the now famous Haribo gummy bears and the 2nd is to offer a Licorice Bean candies. I understand that Jelly Belly Beans already have a black licorice candy flavor in its bean line-up. However, what I'm inferring here is an entire multi-flavored line of licorice candies beyond just the one black licorice flavor they already have in their 50 flavor jelly bean selections.

The Gummy and Licorice lines of candies can continue to being offered in the Bean format that "Jelly Belly" is famous for in confection presentation. Basically taking the 50 assorted flavors that the Jelly Bean candies are offered and cross-pollinate them into Gummy and Licorice flavors equally as well.

Now, this is all well and good but my conceptual product design also flowers into expanding the linear retail distribution landscape. Many of the customers for Jelly Belly Beans and other competitor jelly beans, gummy, bears, and licorice candies are kids that happen to be gamers themselves. I know the "Jelly Belly Candy Company" has developed a "Bean Boozled" jelly bean board game that has an accompanying smartphone app if so desired. Including jelly bean game packs which can include additional themed flavors like the "Harry Potter" line of jelly bean candies.

My idea is to develop a computer tablet or smartphone game title that is stand alone that is branded by the Jelly Belly bean line of candies. The game can include elements of augmented reality much like "Pokemon Go" and include microtransactions as a retail distribution outlet to sell and upsell real and virtual jelly bean, gummy bean, and licorice bean candy packs. For example, a gamer reaches level 10 in this adventure platformer genre tablet / smartphone game title. A notification will appear in-game and an email offer to their free registered account to enjoy a Free Real and Virtual Candy Pack. The free sampler candy pack can have like 5 flavors out of the pre-existing 50 flavors Jelly Belly Beans already offers. Perhaps with 5 to 10 units of bean candies per flavor in the sampler pack direct mailed for free to the gamer as a reward for reaching level 10 in-game. The virtual candy pack includes goodies be they cosmetic avatar wearables, pets, skill boosters, game equipment, etc... This will be an expansion of the addictive virtual achievements as merit badges of sorts gamers know already in contemporary games globally as a game design element.

Besides the free real sampler candy pack offered to be directly shipped to the gamer customer account. There is also an Upsell Opportunity Retail Wise where the gamer is offered a better sampler candy pack. Versus the plain free one of 5 flavors, there are 15 flavors with more candy units per flavor direct shipped for free. The customer account would have the particulars such as postal address and stored credit card info from any other microtransactions purchased. When the gamer purchases a discounted sampler pack they'll receive a higher quality virtual game pack as well to use immediately. Additional goodies can be a virtual coloring book for a tablet as a download, ringtones for a smartphone, music tracks from the game, virtual emoji stickers, etc...

Typically in game titles online or for mobile with microtransactions they've been exclusively tailored for only virtual wares to enhance the gameplay experience. Why not expand it to include additional real product purchases be they merchandising goods and/or candies in this instance?

Not to stop here with this inspirational conceptual design why not include a Cartoon Series based on the candy flavors partitioned into teams akin to the "Twilight Saga" and other contemporary online games. If the 50 flavors of the Jelly Belly Beans persists towards the Gummy and Licorice line of candies there can be 2 or more teams of these personality driven flavors. Be they the good, bad (sometimes good), and the ugly where such a cartoon series can showcase their power struggles and any moral lessons. All of it depending on the demographic age group of consumers as a target audience. The 1st season of such a Jelly Belly Bean of episodes can be hosted on the company website for streaming or on YouTube. Otherwise, the 1st season can be sold at retail as Bluray at discount big-box retailers such as Walmart and Target stores. Merchandising goodies can coincide with the cartoon series such as clothing, toys (ie action figures), and other novelty product lines.

Depending on how successful is such a product line and marketing push as a directive is for the company. A charity for kids can be adopted or created by the company being promoted on each candy package sold. Being placed at a prominent location on the package with a one liner explanation of its altruistic mission.

If such a model proves highly successful like gangbusters perhaps creating a pavilion at an existing theme park of the candy company would be in order. Be it at a Disney Parks, Universal Studio parks, or Six Flags theme park location are all suitable hosts of a kid friendly Jelly, Gummy, and Licorice Belly Bean line of candies pavilion location.

Of course, short of a pavilion at a theme park, the waters can be tested by hosting an annual convention for consumers of their products. Much like Game Publishers already do for online games like Activision Blizzard and the former Sony Online Entertainment used to do. Having a litany of activities planned be it a Cosplay of all 50 candy flavors as costumes akin to dressing up like the Jelly Belly Bean mascot by convention attendees. Offering premium candy and other goody gift bags for VIP's including onsite contests and sweepstakes. The sweepstakes prize can be a trip to travel to the game studio or artist studio of the cartoon series to be featured in a cameo voiced role in a future episode and game level. The convention can showcase the voice actors of the animated candy flavors, game designers, executive producers all very similar to an online game convention.

Lastly, this inspirational conceptual design isn't just for a singular company such as "Jelly Belly Bean Candy Company". This candy product line and distribution model can easily dovetail for Hershey's, Cadbury's, Entermann's, Little Debbies, and even Twinkies as pastries. With the vision necessary to capitalize past outmoded 20th-century retail distribution models to borrow from the games and other published content industries. Can this be a shot in the arm to entertain and delight consumer audiences together in one fell swoop online and at retail.

Ivan "Atrayo" Pozo-Illas, has devoted 21 years of his life to the pursuit of clairvoyant automatic writing channeling the Angelic host. Ivan is the author of the spiritual wisdom series of "Jewels of Truth" consisting of 3 volumes published to date. He also channels inspired conceptual designs that are multi-faceted for the next society to come that are solutions based as a form of dharmic service. Numerous examples of his work are available at "Atrayo's Oracle" blog site of 11 years plus online. Your welcome to visit his website "Jewelsoftruth.us" for further information or to contact Atrayo directly.