A Brief by Tom Dempsey and Ryan McGee
Situation Analysis Background More than thirty years ago, Kettle Brand began making roasted nuts and other natural foods and selling them out of a beat-up van. In 1982, they created the first bags of what we now know as Kettle Brand potato chips. Using real and unpeeled potatoes, the company cooked them in small batches, which created a powerful taste and unique crunch. The product was so successful that the beat-up van turned into the very first Kettle Foods delivery truck. Today, Kettle Brand sells a variety of flavors of potato chips, as well as a number of different types of chip, in order to satisfy a growing audience of Kettle Brand fans. The company sticks to a credo, “Our Natural Promise.” This promise means Kettle Brand products will include absolutely nothing artificial, no trans fats, no preservatives, no MSG, no gluten, and will use only non-GMO ingredients, all-natural colors and flavors, and real food ingredients. Throughout any changes the brand has undergone, they continue to create a superior chip product by staying true to the values that gave it its start so long ago.
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The Industry
The first potato chips are believed to have been created in 1853. The thin slice of potato that is usually fried has been a mainstay in American diets ever since. Today, consumers spend billions of dollars each year on potato chip products. The products are usually made the traditional way (deep fried), but are also commonly made by baking potatoes. Top brands in the industry include Lay’s, Ruffles, Pringles, Utz, Kettle Brand, and Cape Cod Potato Chips, to name a few.
S.W.O.T. Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses - Price - Lack of advertising - Low Brand Awareness
- Large variety of flavors - Large variety of ‘styles’ - “Our Natural Promise” Opportunities - More advertising - Established Customers can increase reach
Threats - Competitors with market high market share - Competitors that have ‘kettle-cooked’ option
Situation Analysis Competitive Analysis
This brand is a very popular one, and shares a similar consumer audience with Kettle Brand. They are established as a successful kettle chip option with a wide-reaching audience. They are not the cheapest option for chips.
This brand has been around for over ninety years. They produce a wide variety of snack food options, including pretzels, popcorn, and crackers, and their variations of chips include potato, kettle, and tortilla, among others. The brand is cost-friendly but is not recognized as being a commonly sold chip nationwide.
Campaign Goal:
This brand is one of the most recognizable names in the potato chip industry. They have a number of flavors and varieties of chips and are often placed first in consumer top of mind awareness. Lays are not always seen as the healthiest option when it comes to chip selection.
This brand sells a kind of chip that is cooked using a different process than regular potato chips and kettle chips. Popchips are healthy chip options as they use no preservatives and have half the fat of fried potato chips, however having only been in existence since 2007, the brand does not have a high awareness. To emphasize the simplicity of Kettle Brand chips and the strong flavor that comes from using real food ingredients.
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Research Methods Objectives
The objectives of the research for this campaign were to discover what audience would be the most effective to target Kettle Brand potato chips toward. Other objectives included finding out what the overall brand awareness of Kettle Brand is, as well as to identify what parts of Kettle Brand people like, what parts people don’t, and what people do and don’t like about potato chips in general.
Secondary
Secondary research consisted of collecting data from a couple of sources. Some of the most useful information came from interpreting data from MRI+ Mediamark reports. Other information came from the Kettle Brand company website. This data helped narrow the target audience and gave insight into other interests of audience members, such as home cooking. The secondary research also provided a great deal of product information that was useful in developing the artwork and tagline.
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Primary
Primary research was focused around a survey that was completed by participants online. Other primary tactics included sampling the Kettle Brand product as well as observing product placement at local supermarkets. From this research, it became evident that flavor is one of the most important factors to potato chip consumers. Texture of the chip (crunchy, crispy, etc.) also registered as important to the consumer.
Target Market Demographic Professional, middle-upper class women Aged 35-54
Psychographic The target includes women who are both professional, single or married women as well as working or stay-at-home mothers. Many of these women are homemakers who are interested in cooking and always willing to try to make new recipes. The mothers in the target market enjoy creating healthy meals with fresh ingredients for their families.
Secondary Target The advertisements are not specific enough to only target women, so they also appeal to any potato chip consumer, or any person interested in Kettle Brand chips.
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Background
Creative Brief
Kettle Brand began making food in 1978 and produced its first kettle-cooked potato chips in 1982. By creating their chips in small batches using real potatoes and all-natural ingredients, Kettle Brand was able to pioneer a product that has a strong taste and signature crunch. Since then, Kettle Brand has created a variety of flavors and types of chips to appeal to a growing audience of Kettle Brand consumers.
Campaign Role
Increase reach with the target audience of Kettle Brand potato chips. Educate the audience about the all-natural and real food ingredients used to create the chips.
Target Audience
Women, 35-54, mostly professional, middle-upper class.
Big Idea
Kettle Brand potato chips are made with real food ingredients and nothing artificial to ensure their customers will enjoy a satisfying and authentic kettle chip.
Supporting Evidence
• Kettle Brand potato chips are available in 14 flavors and also come in five other chip styles, including Krinkle Cut and Organic. • Kettle Brand uses nothing artificial, no trans fats, and no preservatives in their chip-making process. • Kettle Brand’s kettle cooking process creates a more crunchy chip texture that differs from crispy traditional potato chips. • The potato chip industry includes popular brands such as Lay’s, Wise, Utz, and Cape Cod Potato Chips, all of which offer kettle-cooked chip options. • The target audience enjoys eating potato chips as a side with a meal (like a sandwich) and often chooses a chip type based on flavor.
Tone
The overall tone of the campaign is a mixture of humorous and serious. The message behind the advertisements is serious because only real ingredients are used to create a powerful flavor. The humor comes in with the image of the chip bag pouring out food items used to symbolize the chip flavor, along with the chips themselves. The headline uses some play on words and the body copy gives a casual feel.
Mandatories
Use current logo • Create new tagline • Include call to action
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Big Idea Promise
Kettle Brand potato chips are made with real food ingredients and nothing artificial to ensure their customers will enjoy a satisfying and authentic kettle chip.
Key Insights Members of the target audience enjoy preparing their own healthy meals using real food. Artificial foods are not the first choice for these consumers when looking for a snack. Target audience members also choose Kettle Brand potato chips because of the unique qualities that kettle chips offer, and so it was important to note that this is distinctly a kettle chip, not just a regular potato chip.
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Execution
Backyard Barbecue 7
Sweet Onion
Execution
Banner ad
Jalape単o 8
This Creative is a title Backyard Barbecue
Not everyone can be a grill master. Kettle Brand Backyard Barbecue Chips pack years of learning the craft into one bag. Open, crunch, enjoy. Those are the only steps you need. It’s real, simple.
Sweet Onion
Quit your crying. Kettle Brand Sweet Onion Chips has taken all the pain out of cutting onions. Open, crunch, enjoy. Those are the only steps you need. It’s real, simple.
Jalapeño
Some like it hot. Kettle Brand Jalapeño Chips packs the punch without all the added sauces and messy seasonings. Open, crunch, enjoy. Those are the only steps you need. It’s real, simple.
Banner Ad
The banner ad features similar elements that the Jalapeño ad does, but simplified. It will simply link to the buykettlechips.com website, and is beyond the tagline.
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Visuals
The idea behind the visuals is to emphasize the simplicity in Kettle Brand Chips ingredients, and to show that they use real-food ingredients, by having real food coming out of the bags. These ingredients are also reflect within the headline.
Copy
The copy is only a few, very short sentences. This again, exemplifies the simplicity of Kettle Brand Chips. People have their preferences, within flavor and texture of chips. The body copy explains that Kettle Chips provides a product that gives the flavor of real food, when the customer doesn’t have the time or skill to create the actual food that the flavor mimics.