POTATOBUSINESS.COM / whitepapers Brand Analyses - by Potato Processing International

Potato chips in - All Dressed Up

PUBLISHED BY POTATO PROCESSING INTERNATIONAL

Written by Barbara Zec

If you want to try potato chips with ketchup, dill pickle flavor or seasoned with all you can think of - at the same time! - Canada is the perfect place for your next visit. The US might hold the biggest share of the Canadian potato chips market, thanks to greater volumes and a larger distribution network, but domestic manufacturers are not to be underestimated. Some of them also distribute their products across the border and are bringing Americans distinctive tastes that they can't get at home.

1 Three of the five most popular potato Voting for this year’s "Do Us A Flavour" chips brands in Canada belong to the winner finished at the end of September. American company Frito-Lay, the Four finalists in Canada proposed pretty food division of PepsiCo. The global strong tastes - Wavy Ondulees Cowboy brands Lay's and Ruffles rule the Ca- BBQ Beans, Butter Chicken, Montre- nadian market and one brand with Ca- al Smoked Meat and P.E.I. Scalloped nadian origins, Miss Vickie, holds fourth Potatoes. This year's theme was "Tastes place, according to Euromonitor. Of Canada" from one of four Canadian regions. Lay's is the most popular brand in North Since its beginning, Lay's has used ad- America and is steadily conquering oth- vertising to increase sales. It was the first er markets across the globe. As for the snack food manufacturer to purchase design of the package, it relies on its television commercials. The slogan from fame and doesn't have to "explain" itself a series of ads, "Betcha can't eat just on every bag. The bright yellow bag, one", by Young & Rubicam, is one of the with an illustration of a sliced potato in best-known slogans in advertising and the middle and a big logotype above it, was active until 1992, when it became has become widely recognized and is a "Too good to eat just one". The first one trailblazer for other potato chips brands. still sounds more effective! While the Original flavor has a signature yellow color, other flavors share a nice In the same year, the Ruffles slogan palette of varied, subtle colors appropri- "Ruffles has ridges" was replaced with ate for the tastes they illustrate. Clearly, "Get your own bag". Both slogans, for the packaging for the newest additions, Lay's and Ruffles, were created by the such as new flavors, or different shaped BBDO advertising company. Frito-Lay chips, can't be designed exactly the is the pioneer of snack food advertising, same and needs more detail. For in- by packaging chips in sealed bags and stance, the finalists of this year’s "Do Us offering a ridged variation very early on. A Flavour" competition are packaged in These were introduced in 1958 and are color-coded bags with white space in the much better for dipping because they are middle of the front, where all the details thicker and sturdier and harder to acci- are placed. dentally break. "Do Us A Flavour" is a yearly contest in Original Ruffles varieties share a "ridged" which members of the public propose background, made from two shades of a new taste. The company chooses a blue, with a big red logotype in the same selection of the best flavors, which are style. The middle of the package is re- produced and sold for a limited time. served for additional information, with an Customers then choose a winning flavor, illustration of the chips on a white back- which is sold alongside the regular fla- ground framed with colored ribbons bear- vors for the next year. Including the con- ing the name of the flavor. The Ruffles sumers in deciding next year's goals is brand originates from the US, but one a great marketing move. Especially now, flavor made just for the Canadian market as social media is becoming the first became so popular and high in demand channel to "consult" when searching for that the wants to share it new ideas and feedback from consum- with its own consumers. Dana Lawrence, ers. Senior Director of Marketing at Frito-Lay,

2 described that popularity: "To say Ruf- tato chips factory in , , fles All Dressed has a cult following and over the years grew into the owner in Canada is like saying it sometimes of the third most popular chips brand in snows there a little". For a limited time, the Canadian market, Old Dutch. The Ruffles All Dressed will be also available company was founded in 1934, and the in the United States. chips production started in 1954. They have a very large portfolio of potato Lay's in Canada was launched in 1996, chips varieties and flavors. All their prod- when the Frito-Lay company decided to ucts can be recognized by the company rebrand a Canadian potato chips brand trademark of a Dutch windmill. Their that it had acquired a couple of years package design differs from the competi- previously - the Hostess. It was the tion. While others use bag color to differ- leading potato chips brand in the country entiate the flavors, this brand uses white until the 1990s, but with the introduction as the background color for the whole of more upscale brands such as Kettle basic range, and adds different stripes of Chips and Miss Vickie's, its popularity color for distinction. At the same time, on started to rapidly decline. the margins of the bag, the yellow color bordering the red lettering is repeated. Miss Vickie's is the last of the three The result is different color combinations, most popular PepsiCo brands in Cana- such as strong black or light beige, that da. It was first introduced in 1987 at the look minimal but have quite a contrast- annual Alliston Potato Festival and was ing quality. With this design choice, they immediately sold out. The brand was have managed to keep the whole range born. Initially made by Canadians Vickie uniform and still keep the distinctive feel and Bill Kerr, the brand was acquired by of every taste. Frito-Lay in 1993. The first Miss Vickie's package was designed by Miss Vick- The last of the “big five" potato chips ie herself. She wanted people to know brands in Canada is Kettle Chips, a that a woman made the product, so she brand owned by Diamond Foods, an used a lace collar and a bow as the illus- American packaged food company tration. To show that the recipe and the based in California. The Kettle Brand ingredients were home-made, she also founder started selling natural foods from included a drawing of a farm. a van in 1978; the brand was introduced Through the years, the original design in 1982, and was acquired by Diamond has gone through some changes. The Foods in 2010. These chips are made collar is still here, but all the other graph- with all natural ingredients and they are ic elements are gone. Currently they are gluten-, GMO- and trans-fat-free. The offering five different flavors and each brand's commitment to the environment taste has a different color. All the bags can even be seen on their packages. have a lot of empty space on them and They have removed the paper layer from communicate their image mainly through their potato chips bags, thereby reduc- the distinctive white collar and color. ing the material used by 20 per cent. Illustrations of the flavors are put in very If we remember that they produce and small medallions. package large quantities of potato chips, that's quite a lot of trees saved. Old Dutch Foods started as a small po- The whole visual identity of this brand

3 matches their core values. Unlike the other promotional activities, such as majority of snack brands, Kettle Chips photo contests and sampling. With their doesn't use red or yellow color combi- help, sales have grown by an amazing nations, which are the most aggressive 50 per cent. and, therefore, widely applied. They The other bright example of smart use use warm, brown colors, which evoke of storytelling, design and packaging the color of the land. The texture of the is Covered Bridge Potato Chips. The letters reminds us of potatoes and the Albright family started to grow potatoes serif typography sends us back to older, in the early 1900s and began selling their healthier times. The Kettle brand potato potatoes to the chips manufacturers. In chips range has a very elaborate color 2009, when the fourth generation took palette and all the shades are slightly over the business, they decided it was muted to look "natural". The other chips time to start their own brand. They built ranges in their portfolio are even closer a name around the local attraction, the to the core color and all of them use only longest covered bridge in the world, sit- one tone of brown for the base. uated in Hartland, New Brunswick. With a name that links them to an already There are many other potato chips man- well-known place, they decided to be ufacturers in the Canadian market. Big- more playful with the design of the bag. ger, smaller; older, younger; well-brand- The packaging design is based on flat ed, and less so. There are two smaller colored comic art. The whole range, cur- brands included in this review as an rently offering 12 different seasonings, example that a company can grow their shares a background texture that was consumer base "only" with decent brand- made with two-toned wavy stripes. The ing, good package design, and by shar- illustrations are funny and eye-catch- ing the story behind the product. ing, especially the popular Lobster and The first brand,Hardbite handcraft- Creamy Dill Pickle flavors. ed-style chips, is owned by local BC potato farmers, Pete Schouten and Wes At first glance, it seems that smaller Heppells. In 2005, after a blind taste test challengers are much braver than the by the National Post, these chips were big international players who dictate the named “the best gourmet chip in Can- trends. wwWhen we look at the brand- ada". Today they can be found in the ing, packaging and communication of US and even in Asia. The whole brand successful smaller brands, we see that image revolves around the owners’ love they are emphasizing their roots, using of outdoor activities and it is branded in strong, bold design to tell a story and a masculine, rough manner – a black communicating with their followers in a background with the central position of more direct way. The majority of larger, the bag reserved for photographs that international brands may have started show numerous outdoor activities, such the same, but in a different time, when as camping, skiing or cycling. The brand- there was no social media and the brand ing was created by CREW Marketing reach was much smaller. Today, with Partners and all photographs used by facilities in every part of the world and the brand feature popular destinations enormous distribution networks, they on the Canadian West Coast. The same choose to work with the biggest mar- marketing company is responsible for keting and advertising agencies, who

4 can follow their demands. As a result, their package design is made in a way that is not offensive to anyone and can be "read" the same in all markets. The investments are huge and it is better to play safe when going into massive rede- At first glance, it signs. seems that smaller Smaller manufacturers can use their size for their own advantage and pres- challengers are much ent themselves in a more intimate way. braver than the big If they decide to choose the style of the international players visual and other communication accord- ing to their personal preferences, they who dictate the trends. are on the right track to reach the type of consumers who share the same values. That way, they are not only forming their customer base, they are turning their consumers into brand advocates, who will help them in the long haul.

Canadian Lay’s Do Us a Flavour finalist flavours

5 Ruffles All Dressed and ready to impress

Made and designed by a woman - Miss Vickie's potato chips

6 White and strippy Old Dutch potato chips bag

All natural Kettle Brand doesn’t use paper on its bags to save the trees

Covered Bridge - designed to put a smile on your face

7 First standardized digital magazine for potato industry in new format - EPUB, for tablets and mobile phones.

• responsive • accurate positioning • animations • buttons • hyperlinks • slideshows • galleries • video • audio

approved by the International Digital Publishing Forum available online @ www.potatobusiness.com