So, the Sun Chips Bag. I saw an article on The Atlantic regarding the new compostable bag, which is being suspended (although possibly only in the US) because it is loud. I scoffed. I did. “How could we be so superficial,” thought I.
And then I went to the grocery store in search of snacks. I didn’t, in fact, go to purchase Sun Chips. They aren’t one of my regular weaknesses. But I saw the bag in question, and I picked it up just for kicks. Holy Cow! LOUD! I couldn’t have imagined. The sheer volume! It was so loud that it made me laugh. Then I crinkled it for my husband, and it made him laugh, too.
Picture us, in the aisle of the grocery store, passing this bag back and forth and grinning at the sheer absurdity. It was so much fun that we bought them, and discovered in the offing that we kind of like Sun Chips. But we really bought the bag.
So, I humbly propose that rather than sending their engineers back to the drawing board, they get a really kick-ass team of lateral thinking marketers together and start rebranding. Here are 10 possible marketing approaches: (Hey, Frito Lay! I take cheques!)
1. Conspicuous non-Consumption! (Targeting people whose Greenness is part of their image. I picture a TV ad: man prepping for a party, but waiting until the guests have arrived to fill the chip bowls. Crinkling the package to get people’s attention before passing the bowls. Whoa! Nice Bag. Yeah, and the chips are pretty good, too!)
2. Sun Chips: Now with a free instrument in every bag! (Get some decent percussionists together. I think it pretty much writes itself.)
3. With the Bag that’s as Loud as the Bite! (Crinkle crinkle Crunch! For some reason the particular sound combination reminds me of “We Will Rock You”. I’m thinking Canadian Baby Boomers, and a hockey game.)
4. Sun Chips: Loud and Proud! (Do I have to say it? Rainbow packaging, anyone?)
5. More Fun in the Grocery Aisle… I’m just saying. This was one of the most amusing things I’ve encountered in months. I’m still having fun 24 hours later.
6. Ooh! A whole campaign of getting people to come up with alternate uses for a VERY LOUD BAG! (Whoopee cushion? Sneaking up on your sister and her friends? Getting even with your brother for stealing your snacks? I’m sure that you can appeal to teenagers with this product. It’s like Crazy Loud. Very Annoying. Great potential there.)
7. New Year’s Eve, Canada Day, Independence Day… you know. Fireworks Holidays. “Now with the noisemaker built right in.”
8. Irresistibly Crunchy. (Midnight snacks gone awry. Something here about having a snack that will alert you when your partner or kids try to make off with it. Oh, oh! Double play on the Crunchy Granola set. Trademark, shmademark. PepsiCo could buy your name off you if the price was right, and you know it.) Or possibly Insanely Crunchy.
9. You could just go with Conspicuous Consumption. (Open on somebody at a baseball game or rock concert looking for someone in the stands. Person that they are looking for spies them, shakes the bag to get their attention.)
10. Oh! Rock Concert.”How to Get Noticed” Opening the bag and getting glared at by the musicians who then shift to jamming with the bag as part of percussion section.
I’m just saying that this time the Right Thing can be the Fun Thing. We just have to frame it. It’s a snack food, people! This can totally be a feature!
And if you want to join the campaign to keep the bag, you can join up at “Bring the Noise!” on Facebook.
Just to be clear; I’m all about the bag, baby. I’m just as happy to eat baby carrots – another crunchy snack, I might point out.
3 responses to “Sun Chips is Missing an Opportunity”
Here Here!! Well Said. Thank YOU!!
Thanks for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed it.
Brilliant!