The Early Read: HallPass

Pogo lets brands explore new product launches through the eyes of the first verified buyers. This week: did HallPass, the new confectionery brand by the makers of David Protein, make the grade?

HallPass, the new low-calorie candy from Medici Brands, hit Walmart shelves nationwide in late August.

Launched with three products: Peanut Cups, Peanut Creme Crispy Wafers, and Chocolatey Candy Pieces, HallPass claims to deliver the taste, texture, and experience of classic candy for 70 calories and 1g of sugar per serving.

To test how those claims landed with early buyers, we found 800 verified HallPass buyers, talked to 70 of them using AI-moderated video interviews, and ran a quick quantitative study with 200 more. Here’s what they told us.

What we heard from verified early buyers.

A+ for health-focused messaging that resonates.

• 70% said it seemed healthier than similar candy, and 43% cited the apparent healthiness as a reason they decided to try it.

• “With 70 calories and only one gram of sugar, and I could have chocolate, then… I was definitely going to try it," said one early buyer.

• "It just made me feel like a child again, enjoying candy without worrying if it was gonna make me fat or I was cheating on my diet," said another. "It was just an enjoyable moment with no guilt."

A- for taste. Most buyers like the product.

• Across the three HallPass products, 70% of buyers rated their satisfaction a 4 or 5 out of 5.

• 73% of buyer responses put HallPass at least on par with similar candy offerings… and 47% rated their HallPass item as better.

Teacher’s pet: Peanut Creme Crispy Wafers.

• 52% of respondents gave the Peanut Creme Crispy Wafers a 5/5 for satisfaction, and 53% said they were better than similar candy products.

• “I love that one because it reminds me kind of a combination between a candy bar and a Little Debbie Nutty Buddy,” said one buyer.

Who’s buying? Affluent, active, fitness-minded shoppers.

We compared our audience of verified HallPass buyers to the broader set of Walmart shoppers during the period since HallPass launched. Here is what stood out across the 100+ demographics and psychographics that we collect from our panelists:

• HallPass appeals more to higher-income Walmart customers: HallPass buyers were 1.56x as likely to have a household income of $110K or higher, relative to the overall Walmart baseline.

• Fitness-minded shoppers see the appeal: the HallPass audience is 1.14x as likely to exercise 3+ hours per week.

• There could be untapped potential with Hispanic shoppers: HallPass buyers are about half as likely (0.53%) to be Hispanic or Latino, indicating potential to grow the brand by figuring out a targeted marketing strategy for these consumers.

What should HallPass launch next? Consider caramel and gummies.

In our AI-moderated video interviews, we asked consumers what other products, flavors, or types of snacks they’d like to see from HallPass.

The word cloud here shows the most common mentions. Caramel and gummy candies look to be big areas of opportunity!

Some of the most creative ideas, in the words of the first HallPass buyers: 

• “If there’s a way for HallPass to take what they did with those wafer candies and emulate that with something like a frozen mochi … that would be awesome,"

• “Maybe Dubai chocolate, healthy Dubai chocolates. That would be wow. Amazing.”

• “Something like chocolate dipped chips. That's something I would go for."

Want to get an early read on your next product launch? Pogo lets you test and track new products with people who actually buy them.