Although they are a little bit tacky, these "Undress me" mugs are still a fun idea to get your day started in the morning. No, it doesn't have anything to do with getting undresses. There are his and hers versions of the mugs available and each one has a naked man or woman on the inside which is revealed as you drink down your coffee. It's not going to give quite the same effect if you prefer lighter beverages, like tea, so you might want to stick with coffee, hot chocolate of a similarly dark beverage.

I'm not really sure which demographic they're targeting, but I suspect that there are a lot of college-age men and women who wouldn't mind having one at the breakfast table. And now that Folger's is targeting that demographic but seems to have renounced their claim to being the "best part of waking up," they have to have something to look forward to in the morning.

Folgers, the coffee formerly known as the best part of waking up, is aiming further change its image by branching out into gourmet coffees. With new and improved packaging, new and improved flavors and a $20 million dollar advertising campaign, the company is hoping to prevent to loss of customers as these days "a gourmet version of coffee is the new standard."

But since the name of Folgers is associated with being an "everyday" coffee, not a premium coffee, they had to create a new category of coffee that wouldn't alienate their no-frills customer base. Market research told the Folgers executives that people who drink their coffee will "save" premium coffees for special occasions. So, to appeal to existing customers while potentially attracting new customers, the new Folgers Gourmet Selections are "gourmet-inspired coffee [and can] be consumed on an everyday basis."

Folgers has had mixed success with its recent product trials, so it's too early to say for certain whether they will be a success. You can get a free sample here if you want to try it before it hits shelves in September.

Folgers Coffee is trying to increase its visibility with a younger generation of consumers, the generation that grew up with Starbucks and other coffee shops on every corner. The company's slogan has long been "the best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup," but they perceive that their new target audience views the best part of waking up as going back to sleep. As such, their strategy is not only to develop ads - launched all over the internet in a viral campaign - that are hip, but that appeal to those who believe that caffeine exists to get the to work in the morning after staying out until 3am. The updated slogan is "tolerate mornings."

"Tolerate mornings" is far less catchy than the lyrical older slogan, but is the new ad format more effective than the old one? You be the judge, but somehow the implication that you should drink the product because it's there, and not necessarily because you like, it is a less-than-convincing sales pitch. The new ad features creepy yellow people who are meant to embody the morning while singing an irritating jingle: 

(video after the jump)

Since the introduction of decaffeinated coffee more than twenty years ago, there has not been any major category innovations in coffee until now. Folgers has introduced a Simply Smooth™, coffee that is easier on the stomach. The selection of coffee beans and the roasting process limits the formation of phenols, which have been associated with stomach discomfort.

About 35-40 million people have cut back on their coffee consumption because of stomach discomfort. With the new Folgers Simply Smooth, people can enjoy a medium-roast and decaffeinated varieties.