When it comes to potato chips, crunchy is best
Marketing, branding for ladies unnecessary when it comes to snacks
I have a little love affair with potato chips. It’s one of my favorite unhealthy snacks, and the crunchier they are, the better.
Those super-crunchy salty kettle cooked chips? That’s where I’m at. Hand me a bag of chips and some French onion dip or — better yet — anchovy dip, and I’m a happy, happy camper.
I know that the crunching noise is loud, and it’s probably annoying to some, right up there with eating ice cubes and noshing on popcorn. And I sympathize — I really do, because that ice crunching and popcorn noise makes me a bit crazy too. Yet the crinkle of an opening bag of super-crunchy chips is impossible for me to resist. It’s a enticing call of impending deliciousness.
Last week, however, I saw a report on CNBC that left me scratching my head. Apparently, “women prefer chips that don’t make too much noise when eaten or leave them with sticky fingers, according to PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi,” CNBC reports. Nooyi made the comments on the podcast Freakonomics, noting that PepsiCo is getting ready to launch snacks designed and packaged differently for women. Now I understand that brands try to target men and women differently, whether it’s packaging or marketing or branding or some combination therein.
But do chips really need different treatment? Some people like to crunch away, others prefer the lesscrunchy brands, but at this point, there are chips to meet just about every taste and texture craving out there.
The internet had a field day with this subject this week, and amid the mockery, PepsiCo said “lady Doritos” won’t be appearing on the shelves anytime soon.
PepsiCo’s statement said, “We already have Doritos for women-they’re called Doritos, and they’re enjoyed by millions of people every day. At the same time, we know needs and preferences continue to evolve and we’re always looking for new ways to engage and delight our consumers.”
Maybe Lady Doritos aren’t in the works, but it does sound like there could be some marketing moves in the future. As far as I’m concerned, it’s unnecessary to change an already-delicious thing. While the company sorts it out, I’ll be on the couch, crunching my superloud chips.