Tostitos Online Presence Reset Alyssa Orozco Technology for Marketing 16 May 2013
Tostitos
Summary
Tostitos is part of the tortilla snack category that is also owned by Frito Lay, a brand unit of
Pepsi Co. Their current brand image involves social gatherings with family and friends by incorporating a ‘fiesta’ and football theme around their advertisements. Their products include various styles and flavors of tortilla chips and salsas as shown in the list below. In the Online Presence Reset Assignment, I will be categorizing Tostitos in the tortilla chip industry when comparing the target market and its competitors online as well as compare how Frito Lay differentiates Tostitos from other popular brands that they own. Majority of Tostitos online presence should be to improve their interactions with followers in different social networking sites and to differentiate their website from the other Frito Lay brands.
TOSTITOS® ARTISAN RECIPES® Baked Three Cheese Queso Flavored Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® ARTISAN RECIPES® Grilled Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa Flavored Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® ARTISAN RECIPES® Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® ARTISAN RECIPES® Toasted Southwestern Spices Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Bite Size Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Cantina Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Cantina Traditional Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Crispy Rounds Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Hint of Lime Flavored Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Multigrain SCOOPS!® Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Multigrain Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Original Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® SCOOPS!® Tortilla Chips BAKED! TOSTITOS® SCOOPS!® Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® SIMPLY NATURAL™ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® SIMPLY NATURAL™ Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips TOSTITOS® Cantina Chipotle Restaurant Style Salsa TOSTITOS® Cantina Roasted Garlic Thick & Chunky Salsa TOSTITOS® Chunky Salsa - Hot TOSTITOS® Chunky Salsa - Medium TOSTITOS® Chunky Salsa - Mild TOSTITOS® Creamy Spinach Dip TOSTITOS® DIP CREATIONS® Freshly Made Guacamole Dry Dip Mix TOSTITOS® Monterey Jack Queso TOSTITOS® Restaurant Style Salsa TOSTITOS® Salsa Con Queso TOSTITOS® Smooth and Cheesy Dip TOSTITOS® Zesty Bean & Cheese Dip
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Table of Contents Target Market _________________________________________________________Page 4 Competition __________________________________________________________Page 5 Current Site Map ______________________________________________________Page 6 Overall Layout and Design ______________________________________________Page 7 Compelling Content ___________________________________________________Page 7 Interactive Elements ___________________________________________________Page 8 Optimized Search Engine ______________________________________________ Page 8 Mobile Sites _________________________________________________________ Page 9 Social Networking ____________________________________________________ Page 9-10 Blogging ____________________________________________________________ Page 10 Customer Reviews ____________________________________________________Page 11 Internet Based Communication _________________________________________ Page 11 Recommended Site Map ______________________________________________ Page 12 Recap of Online Recommendations _____________________________________ Page 12
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Tostitos
Target Market
When looking at Tostitos Scoops psychographics, the consumers with families have a
higher index than singles and couples. Also, consumers that live in affluent suburban spreads and comfortable country are more likely to buy Tostitos, as shown in the graph. Tostitos Scoops primary consumers are held in Comfortable Country with the behavioral lifestyle of Older Bustling Families. Affluent Suburban Spreads index at 127, a 27% more likely to buy Tostitos Tortilla Chips, while Older Bustling Families are 60% more likely to buy. When comparing the demographics to the psychographics of Tostitos Scoops’ consumers, the main variables to consider is their status, age of household, income, and number of children and household composition. The head of the household is married with kids, contains at least three people in the household, has an income of $50,000 or more, and the head of the household is between the ages of 25-54 years old.
Family activities that consumers participate in is
watching television, movies, watching and attending sporting events, and shopping on the internet. These activities occurred frequently and index above a 140. On television, shows that are watched frequently are Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, Sports Networks, and award shows. There is a wide variety of sports that are watched and have attended such as Football, Hockey, Basketball, College Sports, and Soccer. Internet sites include eBay, iTunes, Craigslist, and shopping sites for toys and games. Considering the research, the consumers are very family oriented and majority of the activities are done as a family.
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Tostitos
Competition
Under the tortilla chip category, Grande and On The Border are the main competitors since
the majority of Tostitos consumers have tried the competitors at least once and the indexes are above average. Grand indexes at 127, while On The Border indexes at 124, with a high penetration of 4%. As you can see in the graph below, On The Border and Grande have consumers with similar behavioral styles. Majority of these consumers contain families, the same target audience as Tostitos, and therefore might have similar interests in activities for online, sports, television and other social gatherings.
Also, Doritos is a main competitor based on looking at their online presence. Doritos is also a brand under the Frito Lay company and is a threat to Tostitos because it is also under the tortilla chip category. Doritos also positions itself towards football fans in their advertising and is beginning to take over the Hispanic market with their new Doritos Locos Tacos product line and partner with Taco Bell. Frito Lay should watch out for cannibalism to occur with their two brands.
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Tostitos
Current Site Map
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Tostitos
Overall Website Layout and Design When you go to Tostitos’ website, www.tostitos.com, there are two main links on their homepage. One link goes to Tostitos Facebook page and the other directs users to Tostitos product information under the Frito Lay website. The website is very easy to navigate since there are not that many links. The purpose for Tostitos website is to provide product information and to spread awareness on social media. Other content includes information about the Frito Lay company. On the above tabs, it includes the Frito Lay Company’s brands, recipes, health information, their philosophy and an about us section. These sections, however, do not contain any specifics about Tostitos. With Grande and On The Border, they have their own individual websites with recipes, product information, purchasing, and company information. Even though Grande is under Snyder’s of Hanover, they do a good job at differentiating themselves online from the company known for pretzels.
The homepage is very festive and decorated with confetti. On the Tostitos homepage, it
says, “Join the party with Tostitos on Facebook!”, which adds some fun and appealing content to users. However, when you get to the product’s information, the website does not stand out compared to Frito Lay. Some product differentiation occurs by the website stating, “Whether it’s a couple of friends gathered to watch the game or a giant backyard barbecue, Tostitos are the must have chips.” This clearly states Tostitos target audience, but Frito Lay also uses that phrase for other brands as well.
Compelling Content
Tostitos should take the time to differentiate themselves online from other Frito Lay brands.
Tostitos does apply their fiesta theme on their homepage and Facebook, but not on the Frito Lay website where it contains the product information. Each brand under Frito Lay has the same yellow background and each product has a Facebook “Like” and nutrition label. Each brand has different positioning and brand image when they advertise, therefore it makes sense to do the same for their online website. Besides their webpage on the Frito Lay website, their social media and brand image does a great job incorporating the fiesta and football theme. Some compelling content to add to their site could be incorporating social networking and being active online.
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Tostitos
Interactive Elements
There is no interactive elements on the Tostitos website except a link to their social media
and a “Where To Buy App� on the Frito Lay website. The application allows users to put in their location and the application will give a list of locations on where to buy a certain product. To improve customer interaction, they should input live newsfeed from Twitter or Facebook and share links to their YouTube account to be more interactive and have more compelling content. On Facebook, people are interactive by commenting on their posts and make suggestions on their page. Tostitos has great commercials and videos of their events that not many people know. Grande, shows their Twitter feed and post pictures and press releases of their events, which shows they are active with their social responsibility. Also, when looking at the Snyder’s of Hanover homepage, they frequently have contests and sweepstakes posted online that encourage customers to return to the website and be involved.
Optimized Search Engines
Since Frito Lay is a major company in the U.S., Tostitos is found very easily online when
searched. The first site that shows up is the Tostitos section from the Frito Lay website and then follows Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook. On the Frito Lay website, they have a link to tostitos.com, but when consumers search for Tostitos, they should be brought to their main homage to increase traffic. The reason for Frito Lay being the main result is that they are the main company and they are one of the highest snack companies in the nation, so online traffic to individual websites might not be as important. However, once they improve the Tostitos homepage, they should pay to have site appear.
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Tostitos
Mobile Site
Tostitos does not have a special feature for mobile users. This reason could be that not
many people are searching for Tostitos products on their phone. However, Tostitos does have a Facebook and Twitter page they can reach to consumers if they are active on those sites. One suggestion to improve mobile users is creating a mobile site and have a link for coupons. Women who do the household shopping are always on the go and are looking for the best deals for groceries. Along with researching keywords for search engines, related search terms are Tostitos coupons.
Social Networking The Tostitos Facebook page is their best social media site they have. They do a good job on reaching their target audience, promoting their new products and posting news that are football and holiday related. They should keep posting to stay active, rather just on holidays or events. If they keep updating their timeline, they would get more likes or shares. Twitter is also as good as their Facebook page but, they are not as active as Facebook. If be become more interactive on Twitter and Facebook by engaging in conversations and other companies, it could increase their brand image since they are known for being a social brand. Some posts to consider is they can talk about their sister companies since Frito Lay is focusing their efforts on Lay’s, “Save Your Fav� contest, but they should not over do it to decrease their market share from Tostitos. Tostitos should increase their presence on Twitter as much as Frito Lay.
Their YouTube Channel also focuses on their target audience by having the fiesta and foot-
ball theme. However, they do not have any videos about their commercials, only a few interviews about their fiesta bowl. The Frito Lay YouTube channel has more videos about Tostitos than the actual Tostitos YouTube Channel. To improve their own brand presence, they should switch or add those videos to the Tostitos channel. On Google Plus, Tostitos also has videos about the fiesta bowl, but is only shared within the people from the Tostitos company. Again, it is good that people are talking about it, but customers are Online Presence Reset Assignment
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Tostitos
not going to be looking up people that they do not know.
Tostitos has a great opportunity with
Pinterest with posting recipes. When you search for Tostitos, people will post their own recipes and mention using Tostitos products. This is good publicity for them since others are talking about the products, however, they could benefit on getting their own as well. I would like to see Tostitos having their own Pinterest because this site is known for posting recipes and creative dishes. On the Frito Lay website, they have recipes online and if they shared it on pinterest, more people would be aware of it. As well as Pinterest, Tostitos can use Instagram. Instagram also focuses on pictures and people like to post about food. Tostitos can use Instagram to reach their target by using images. Posts might include recipes, images from commercials, and other news about the brand.
Blogging
Some blogs were relevant when searching for Tostitos. One called, The Impulsive Buy, talks
about new products and has Tostitos Cantina listed as one. On Cloudfoods.com it talks about how Tostitos relates to Cinco de Mayo, which fits their fiesta theme. However, most blogs were not relevant towards Tostitos. Many coupons showed up but were not for Tostitos products. Their competitors, Doritos, is mentioned on AdAge about the Doritos Locos Tacos, which is a threat to Tostitos. If they increased their social media activity, I think better and more appropriate information will appear on blogs such as food recipes.
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Tostitos
Customer Reviews
There is a “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the page of tostitos.com that allows people to
write complaints, complements, or any questions to the company, which is important to have to get customer feedback. Customer reviews on individual products is
unnecessary because Tostitos does not allow purchasing on their website. Instead, a better way improve their website and to get consumer’s opinion is to input live Twitter or Facebook feed to show what people are saying about their product. However, the disadvantage of this feature is that people’s posts cannot be controlled, but there is an opportunity for Tostitos to enhance their brand image by responding back to their consumers. Grande shows their twitter feed, while On The Border allows their customers to write a review on a product. For the competitors, it is an easy way for people to become engaged.
Internet-Based Communication
Tostitos is known for their “fiesta bowl,” which is when they sponsor a college football game
by giving players new Tostitos jerseys, put their logo all over the stadium, and have celebrity appearances at the event. They have many videos online that cover interviews and awards that people can watch on YouTube about these events. However, to improve customer relations, Tostitos can use Google Plus Hangouts during interviews at their fiesta bowl, awards that are given, or any other live special events. By posting live video feed and having it available online, it gives a better appeal both audio and visually rather than pictures posted on Facebook or repeating commercials on television. It can also increase their brand image in a positive way for sponsoring future events.
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Recommended Site Map
Recap of Online Recommendations • Input live newsfeed from Twitter or Facebook on tostitos.com to enhance compelling content, product differentiation, and customer feedback. This will replace the Tostitos Spokesbag on the homepage. • Share links to their videos on YouTube or Google Plus Hangouts to be more interactive and have compelling content. This will be shown on a right panel, similar to a YouTube layout for recommended videos. Also, add recent commercials and videos of events to Tostitos YouTube Channel. • Create a Tostitos Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus. Also provide all the social media icons on the homepage for people to like, follow, and share the content and brand. • Provide other nutritional benefits on the product’s website. Include whole wheat, gluten free, and zero trans fat. • Become more active on social media overall by interacting with consumers on the fiesta and football theme. Also, respond to customer feedback on social media. • Add coupons in addition to product information to increase mobile users and sales.
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