Section 1: Product Overview & Product Profile

BBQ Pringles

By: Michael Davis, Joshua Catchpole, and Hollie Couch
Baker College

Product Overview

Introduction

     Pringles is an American potato chip snack company that was created in 1967 by Procter & Gamble and sold to the Kellogg's company in 2011 for $2.7 billion dollars (“Pringles”, 2019). Pringles currently owns approximately 9.6% of the potato chip snack market, which makes Pringles the second largest potato chip brand in the United States (Conway, 2019). According to Thrillist.com, the 26th most popular flavor of the chip brand is BBQ flavored, as people seem to love the tangy and sweet seasoning of the chips (Kryza, 2019). In 2012, the smoky and sweet potato chips hit the market, selling in grocery stores and gas stations across the nation (Kryza, 2019). Pringles has been having an issue with sales, market position, and market value in the last few years since the popular Lay’s potato chip brand has had a majority of the market share (Conway, 2019). However, Pringle's sales and popularity can nearly rival Lay’s potato chips when the company releases a limited-edition flavor or new logo for holiday seasons. Just in 2017, Pringles released a limited-edition Thanksgiving flavor to a few select stores across the nation which increased overall sales by an estimated 1.3% and sold out within a few hours after being released (Yu, 2017). With this in mind, sales and product awareness can be boosted again during the Halloween season because a spooky limited-edition Pringles logo along with a series of murder mystery advertisements would be a massive hit with fans of the holiday.

Problems The Marketing Plan Addresses

     The marketing plan is to address the untapped market Pringles finds itself in during the Halloween holiday season. Pringles has been having an issue with sales, market position, and market value in the last few years since the popular Lay’s potato chip brand has had a majority of the market share (Conway, 2019). Sales of BBQ Pringles has been slowly decreasing over recent years, as more and more flavors of Pringles are coming out. In the past, sales for the smoky and sweet treat have accounted for nearly 25% of Pringle’s overall sales, yet in recent months, it has dropped to an estimated 15% of overall sales due to the spotlight on newer flavors (“Pringles”, 2019). BBQ Pringles are getting overshadowed by limited-edition flavors and international flavors. Creating a new Halloween themed logo and murder mystery advertisements will help boost consumer awareness and improve the sales of the delicious snack.

Goals of The Campaign 

      The goals of the campaign are to include a boost in sales of at least 2 percent, while hopefully retaining a small percentage of those purchasers as repeat customers for other Pringles products. The idea is that if people purchase this specific flavor of Pringle and like it, they will either continue to buy that product in the future or branch out and try other products sold by Pringles in the future based on their seasonal urge that led them to purchase a Pringle product for the first time. Furthermore, Pringles held a Thanksgiving campaign in 2017 which saw a boost in sales, the goal is to do a similar product to participate in the Halloween festivities to sell in select retailers nationwide to hopefully produce a boost in sales (“Pringles”, 2019). Doing so will bring more brand recognition because consumers like to see companies that are festive and active in the holiday season.

Marketing/Marketing Communications Objectives

     The main objectives of this marketing plan are to increase product awareness, improve sales of the product during Halloween, and boost customer perception of the product and the company. Boosting perceptions towards the product is an important goal, as standing out amongst 124 other flavors of Pringles and other chip brands can be a difficult task (“Pringles”, 2019). So, we are focusing on creating and inspiring a Halloween feel to the product that will match all the people who love the Halloween season. A minor objective is to increase market awareness through marketing activities and promotions because some customers may not buy BBQ Pringles or any Pringles product normally, but they may impulse buy BBQ Pringles during the Halloween month when they see a spooky Pringles can that reminds them of the holiday season. Increasing market awareness will lead to higher sales and put the product in a more competitive position within the market since that awareness may take customers away from competitors and affect their market position.

Product Profile

Product Name & Brand

     "Pringles is a brand of saddle-shaped potato crisps. The Pringles brand has had an interesting ride through history and is known for its unique can that Pringles chips come in" (“Pringles”, 2019). Pringles are known as one of the most common brands of Potato Chips bought in the United States in order to snack on. BBQ Pringles are a popular snack that many people enjoy eating because of its unique flavor, and shape. During the process of creating the BBQ Pringles the company focused on proving to their customers they could create a potato chip that wouldn't break on them. When the BBQ Pringles were first introduced to the market they were called "Pringles Newfangled Potato Chips" where they eventually turned into Pringles (“Pringles”, 2019). "After over nearly a decade from the start of its development, Pringles potato chips were released to the public in the year 1967 (“Pringles”, 2019). The product started small, being sold in limited regions until became sold countrywide in the United States by the mid-1970s" (“Pringles”, 2019). BBQ Pringles have been around for a very long time that is currently owned by Kellogg's where they acquired the product from Procter & Gamble on May 31, 2011 (“Pringles”, 2019). An interesting thing about the Pringles Brand is that they named their mascot Julius Pringle, you will see Julius on the cans of the product as their logo (“Pringles”, 2019).  

Product Classifications

    BBQ Pringles is a convenience good or, otherwise classified as, potato and wheat-based snack food item (Arkell, 2015). The can is small enough to fit in any cabinet or on any countertop and the colored can catches the eye of any customer who walks by it in a store. When we look into the classifications of Pringles you will be surprised at how they are made. "Pringles may be one of the most sci-fi foods of our time. So thin, so homogenous, so regular-shaped that they can be stacked perfectly, these chips are truly the food of the future" (Arkell, 2015). Most potato chips are pieces of potato that are deep-fried in order to get that perfect crunch, but BBQ Pringles are made from rice, wheat, and corn making them not a potato chip (Arkell, 2015). Pringles are actually rolled out like thin cookie dough and cut into cookie-shaped pieces (Arkell, 2015). This makes the BBQ Pringles product so unique because they are created from a piece of dough. BBQ Pringles are not considered to be potato chips because of their low potato content. 

Product Characteristics

     "It has been suggested that the sound that Pringles makes is very deliberate; and that Pringles are mathematically made not only for stacking, but also for the cracking sound they can make" (“Pringles”, 2019). Pringles are known to have the common characteristics of giving their customers a unique crunch when they bite into them. Many people enjoy the sound the chip makes, which gives them the willingness to continue to eat them until the can is empty. The BBQ Pringles can is very unique, and they don't come in a bag like your normal potato chips. They are stacked in the can where consumers can grab one at a time. Some common ingredients that are included in the BBQ Potato chips are dried potatoes, vegetable oil, and rice flour (“Pringles”, 2019). Your basic BBQ Pringles can is going to hold about 16 crisps (28) grams of chips where it has around 150 calories per serving (“Pringles”, 2019). With over 100 flavors, Pringles believes that adding BBQ to the mix of their potato chip makes snacking that much better (Arkell, 2015).

Distribution/Place

     BBQ pringles are sold in a number of stores across the United States, including Walmart, Amazon, Meijer, Speedway, Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Sam’s Club, Costco, Tesco, Asda, and VG’s (“Where To Buy Pringles”, 2019). The product is also sold in grocery store chains and gas stations around the world, in countries such as: Argentina, Finland, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ireland, Turkey, South Africa, Switzerland, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Sweden, and Japan (“Where To Buy Pringles”, 2019). The product is often in the snack and chip isles in most stores; however, some stores do carry the product in other isles to ensure the weight capacity on the stock shelves is not reached and customers can clearly see the product. BBQ Pringles is mainly sold from business to business in most countries, as it is a product that is usually sold in stores rather than straight to consumers. So, the main distribution channel is from manufacturer to wholesaler or retailer then to consumers or other smaller online retailers. However, for bulk purchases of BBQ Pringles, a customer can contact a manufacturer instead of buying the product through a realtor.

Product Life Cycle Stage of Product

     The BBQ chip from Pringles is in its maturity stage, as it is a staple flavor of chip offered through the company and has been around for a number of years. Due to the age of both Pringles itself, but that of the flavor as well, we would put the product solidly in the maturity stage. The sales for the BBQ Pringle flavor has varied over the years, but it has not dropped significantly in the last few years and is still a staple in the chip/snack food industry. If sales ever start declining significantly, then it would likely be moving into the next stage of the product life cycle, but for now, they sit comfortably in the maturity state.

References

Conway, J. (2019, August 09). Sales of the leading potato chip brands of the United States in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars). Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/262117/sales-share-of-the-leading-10-potato-chip-brands-in-the-us/

Inglis-Arkell, E. (2015, December 16). The Shocking True Story Of How Pringles Are Made. Retrieved November 3rd, 2019, from https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-shocking-true-story-of-how-pringles-are-made-30802015

Kryza, A. (2019, September 24). We Ate and Ranked All 35 Pringles Flavors. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/ranking-every-pringles-flavor-reviews-of-all-29-pringles-flavors

Pringles. (2019). Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.snackhistory.com/pringles

Where To Buy Pringles. (2019). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://www.pringles.com/us/where-to-buy.html

Yu, D. (2017, November 21). Kellogg adds seasonal Pringles flavors for Thanksgiving. Retrieved October 30, 2019, from https://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Article/2017/11/21/Kellogg-adds-seasonal-Pringles-flavors-for-Thanksgiving