The year was 2019. Greggs had just trolled Piers Morgan with a vegan sausage roll, Fleabag had just introduced the term ‘hot priest’ into the lexicon and TikTok was still just a niche platform for teens learning dance moves. In the middle of it all, M&S launched the ‘Love Sausage’ - a heart-shaped tube of meat, wrapped in bacon, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

It was cheeky, it was innuendo-laden and it was everywhere.

Whether they knew it or not, M&S had done something remarkable. The ‘Love Sausage’ wasn’t just new product development to plug a gap in the market or add a quirky shape to the range. It was NPD engineered for social media and built for memes. It proved a product could be created not just to be eaten, but to go viral.

Make no mistake, food as a novelty is definitely not a new thing. Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) have been doing it for eons. From the infamous ‘Double Down’ burger from KFC (all meat, no bun) to the ‘Emily in Paris’ tie-in with McDonald’s that led to the McBaguette - these brands have always straddled the line between sustenance and spectacle to great effect.

But what was so remarkable about the love sausage was who it was coming from. This wasn’t Burger King being provocative. This was M&S, the creator of Percy Pigs and polite middle-class picnics, chasing headlines.

Enter 2025 and the era of the sweet sandwich

You must’ve seen them by now. The strawberries and cream sandwich at M&S, next to your ham and cheese. The Tesco Birthday cake sandwich is causing both delight and disgust (mostly disgust) over at the Daily Mail and Guardian.

The same DNA that runs through the Love Sausage and the Double Down also runs through the birthday sandwich. It’s the same recognisable trait of limited edition scarcity, the same spark of controversy (what were they thinking?!) and the same wildfire of conversation.

Is it going to be a volume driver for the business? Unlikely. There may be a small short term spike, but that’s not really the point.

Now that Aldi’s social media team have gotten involved with their own DIY sweet sandwich, it’s done exactly what they wanted it to.

Products like the birthday cake sandwich exist to keep a brand in conversation and start conversations. They’re not designed for mass appeal or unit economics, they’re designed to show that the brand is plugged in and willing to be playful with consumers.

This is doing something beyond market share, it's product as a media strategy.

Another way of thinking about this is they’re essentially edible press releases. They’re highly visible ways of showing the world who the brand is. They might start on the shelf but inevitably end up in group chats and TikTok feeds.

The space that they capture (and without advertising) is the real ROI. A birthday cake sandwich might not be a repeat purchase but it reinforces Tesco’s positioning as the cheeky, mainstream everyman brand that’s willing to try something weird. At M&S, a strawberries and cream sandwich aligns with their seasonal Britishness and slightly eccentric persona. They’re doing ‘brand’ without a brand ad.

A few years after the Love Sausage launched, I spoke to someone who had been around in its development. As it turns out, they knew exactly what they were doing. In fact, they now approach new product development (NPD) with conversation as a goal. And once you see it, you really can’t unsee it. From their punishment juice to vegan chocolate aubergine for Easter, it’s a tried and tested strategy.

You might be thinking that’s a lot of pressure to be putting on NPDs. Not only do they now need to be appealing but also drive conversation. But actually, the lessons are far simpler.

Not every NPD needs to be volume driven, just like not every brand needs a sweet sandwich. But in a world where attention is harder to earn and paid media can be a luxury, every brand can learn to:

Lean into fun - think entertainment rather than just selling to customers. What would surprise them? What would make them laugh? How can they be in on the joke?

Prototype fast, launch loud - when the objective is earned media, speed and relevance is of the essence. A timely and bold launch can generate far more attention than being overpolished and late.

Court conversation, over perfection - Don’t be afraid of controversy. Not every product needs to be liked by everyone. In fact, they should spark debate and hot takes and let the internet do its thing. Because when that happens, you know you’ve won.