From Brandweek:
The snack food category is known for being several things, but
inspirational?
Frito-Lay thinks it can be and is positioning its new nut-based,
Boomer-targeted snack line, True North as "a truly inspired natural
nut snack."
Though a TV, print and online campaign breaking this week from
StrawberryFrog, New York, talks up taste and prominently features
almonds, the aim is to go a bit deeper than the usual snack ads,
said Michelle Rule, director-marketing for True North.
"We're defining it as a purpose in life or a calling," she said of
the brand's name. "Our calling was to bring inspiration to the nut
category."
In other words, Frito-Lay is hoping that its line, which
reinterprets nut snacks as Pistachio Crisps and Peanut Crunchers,
will inspire others to redefine their own lives as well.
Ads play up the Zen-like nature of the pitch. A TV spot shows
almonds falling in rows like dominos that present the image of
flowers when they land. A print ad showing another nut mosaic
explains: "Some movements start with a rally. Others, a concert.
Ours started with an almond."
Online takes a similar tack. Noting that Boomers are more likely to
search for information than download viral videos, Rule said
Frito-Lay has bought up several search terms that are more aligned
with inspiration than nuttiness. (She declined to disclose which
terms, exactly, that the PepsiCo unit bought.)
The campaign coincides with a national rollout for the line which
has been in various markets since February. A nut-based snack,
which provides more protein and thus fewer empty calories than
carbohydrate-laden items like potato chips, fits in with
Frito-Lay's health and wellness platform as well.
"It's a good idea," said Ken Harris, president of Cannondale
Associates, Evanston, Ill. "Every area of snacking is being
examined for benefits beyond food satiation and snacking for
snacking's sake." Still, Harris said it remained to be seen if the
line would succeed.
Rule declined to disclose sales information, but said the company
has been "very pleased" with sales so far. Rule also declined to
name a budget for the campaign except to say it would be
"significant."
Frito-Lay spent $136 million on measured media in 2007, per Nielsen
Monitor-Plus. Those figures do not include online spending.
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