Frito-Lay TrueNorth
2008
CRACKING A NEW CATEGORY
Frito-Lay dominates the snack category with a 70% market share and in 2006 was looking for new growth opportunities. The Innovation team asked Wolff Olins to help them make a branded move into the nut aisle, attracting an older, health-conscious consumer, challenging the category dominant brand — Planters.
SNACKING WITH PURPOSE
Through close collaboration with the Frito-Lay team, we developed a target consumer profile — baby boomers eager to eat more healthily, looking for authentic, tasty snacks. Understanding the consumers needs and wants led to a strategic brand idea centered on making a purposeful impact on your own life and the wider world. This idea then informed the product development brief, a sustainable approach to sourcing, manufacturing and distribution, the brand name — TrueNorth, as well as the natural, simple tone of the packaging and marketing communications in an otherwise noisy category. TrueNorth is only the second new brand launched by Frito-Lay in the past 20 years.
INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
The brand manager responsible for the project was named PepsiCo Innovator of the Year for 2007. TrueNorth exceeded sales benchmarks set for test launch in 2008 and launched nationwide with its commercial debut at the Academy Awards in 2009. A new target consumer has been drawn into the Frito-Lay portfolio and initial consumer research results are outstanding.
