Consider the Pringles. On the shelves of the convenience store I visited this week, a cardboard tube of familiar synthetic potato chips was mostly hidden in a bag of Doritos, Walkers’ whole grain Sanbite, Corpse Salt & Chardonnay Wine Vinegar Crisp. In such a company, no one can mistake Pringles for a healthy or luxurious treat.
However, when Kellogg announced plans to split into three separate companies this week, he did not make the biggest bet on the cornflakes invented by the Kellogg brothers in 1894. Processed crisps.
The Pringles are thriving, despite starting as a commercial flop for Procter & Gamble’s research chemists who invented saddle-shaped snacks as a competitor to potato chips in the 1960s. Other snacks, from cereal bars to biscuits, are also selling well as people shift from eating three meals daily to regular grazing, which is excellent. What is the secret?
One is its consistency. Pringles last for a very long time. What I purchased will expire in July next year. They aren’t exactly fresh, but they don’t start to get old until the tube bursts. They are stored in warehouses for several months or shipped by container ship to Australia and are still edible.
After all, this was the original point of processed foods. Its extreme reliability and stability. The Pringles were a product of a convenient postwar era. The first study was conducted by a P & G employee called Fredrick Bauer, who holds a PhD in organic chemistry, and was launched in Indiana as “New Pringles Potato Chips.” 1968.
With the same quality, it is now particularly suitable for global expansion. A Kellogg executive said after acquiring Pringles from P & G 10 years ago: You can find the exact same product anywhere in the world. Pringles is doing well in the US and Europe, but the brand is growing even faster in new markets such as Mexico, Turkey and Brazil.
The second secret is versatility. It took a long time to complete the Pringles. It was very difficult to make processed discs with the flavors of dehydrated potatoes, cooking oil and flour. This was also the Space Age, when Pillsbury was making food cubes for NASA astronauts, but consumers on Earth had a choice.
Brandness later turned out to be useful: it formed a blank canvas for many flavors. The brand took off in the 1980s after stopping imitating natural potato chips and instead pursuing a novel sensation. The Pringles were never mistaken for the real thing, but they offered something else.
Pringles currently has 30 flavors in the United States alone, including Scorchin’Chilli and Lime and Sizzl’n Kickin’Sour Cream. Mondelez acquired organic energy bar maker Clif Bar for $ 2.9 billion this week, while Pringles has entered the mass market.
Whether the Pringles are healthy is another matter. Even Kellogg’s CEO Stephen Kahilan wasn’t over-promising his fortune when I talked to him this week. “I don’t say it’s at the far end of indulgence, but it’s clearly not a wellness brand,” he said.
Kellogg’s Global Snacking Co, which includes Pringles and Pop-Tarts, is part of the trend, with companies such as Mondelez, which owns Cadbury chocolate and Oreo biscuits, growing. According to a Mondelez survey last year, 64% of consumers in 12 countries have become more fond of smaller meals than daily and are enthusiastic about what is called “acceptable luxury.”
It’s no coincidence that many are overweight. About 70% of American adults are overweight or obese. This issue was neatly encapsulated by Pringles’ 1990s advertising slogan, “Once popped, it can’t be stopped.” Snack companies are extremely vulnerable to the accusations of encouraging insatiable meals.
This is Pringles’ third secret: it’s disarmament. It’s hard to resent such an irreverent brand, and it’s always been ridiculous. Even the inventor had a hard time identifying it. P & G initially tried to label Pringles as potato chips in the United States, but later sought to avoid UK taxes, claiming that it did not contain enough potatoes to qualify as crisps (company). Failed at both times).
Pringles marketing campaigns are often a joke. This includes an ad for this year’s Super Bowl about a man with a Pringles tube stuck in his arm for the rest of his life. “We don’t take it very seriously. We enjoy it,” says Cahillane. This is partly a perception of reality, and while few people take Pringles seriously, it also helps fight stigma.
For now, Pringles seems to be stronger than ever, even if the brand may have to change beyond flavor to satisfy health regulators in the future. I have never enjoyed eating them, but one of my editors swear the Screamin’Dill Pickle flavor. Moderately, it seems to be an innocent joy.
john.gapper@ft.com
