Getting Your Veggies the Easy Way

When I was a kid I hated vegetables, and I'm not that crazy about them today.  So it's difficult for me to believe the fact that Flat Earth veggie crisps, which taste great, actually provide one-half of a serving of vegetables in every ounce.

In our family, my dislike of vegetables is legendary.  My mother loved to tell the story about the time I was a young child and my grandmother tried to feed me beets.  I kept spitting them out -- projectile spitting them out -- so the kitchen and my grandmother were totally covered with a dark red mess when my mom came home from shopping.

I still dislike beets but do my best to include other vegetables in my diet, since the USDA Food Pyramid tells me that they're good for me. Fortunately my wife, Janis, is a great cook, and she does the best job possible to make vegetables palatable by adding cheese, butter, garlic and various spices.

Two years ago, Frito-Lay made eating vegetables a whole lot easier when it invented Flat Earth veggie crisps.  The key marketing challenge with the new product was that consumers like me found it hard to believe that a snack that contained one-half of a serving of real vegetables per ounce actually tasted good. So the tagline "Impossibly Good" was born.

"Our consumers really study the back of the bag and read the nutritional statement carefully, because they just find our story hard to believe," says Jen Saenz, Flat Earth Marketing Manager.  "But gradually we're winning over consumers who like to snack and are looking for positive nutrition.  They're eating Flat Earth veggie crisps with their sandwiches or as an afternoon snack."   

Jen also says, "When we talked to women last year, they asked for a spicy version of the veggie crisps.  So this month we're replacing the fruit crisps we previously offered with a new flavor of the Flat Earth veggie crisps -- Spicy Salsa.  They're made with the same seasoning technology as Baked Lay's Southwestern Ranch -- the flavor is baked right into the chip, instead of seasoning it after baking, for superior taste.  In addition, we've simplified the packaging graphics to make Flat Earth easier to find on store shelves and to better communicate that they are made with real vegetables." 

You can read more about Flat Earth and other healthier snacking options at the Only in a Woman's World Web site, which features fun webisodes about the adventures of four women and the humorous moments they experience together.

Last weekend, I tried Flat Earth Spicy Salsa veggie crisps for the first time, and they tasted great.  Although I may not be the target consumer, I think they'll be a hit with women and other consumers looking for healthier snacking options.  I also hope that our new graphics will make it easier for shoppers to find them in stores.  What do you think of the new Flat Earth flavor, Spicy Salsa, and the new packaging graphics?   

Comments

[Kris]

Bad move replacing the fruit crisps! Loved them. Don't eat (and don't want to try) your veggie crisps. You got rid of a truly unique item in the chip aisle.

[Kristin]

Re: Kris; Thanks for posting a comment on our blog. Slow sales were the reason we discontinued the fruit varieties of Flat Earth. So even though they were great-tasting products, we just couldn't justify continued production. We hope you'll give the new Spicy Salsa veggie crisps a try -- I personally think they are fantastic. Thanks again for your comment.

[Ashley]

Do you still make the Tangy Tomato Ranch ones? If so where would i be able to find them?

[Kristin]

Hi, Ashley. We are not making Flat Earth anymore. We're continually introducing new products and flavors, and I recommend trying some of the new Lay's regional flavors -- made will all-natural ingredients! http://www.snacks.com/good_fun_fritolay/2010/02/when-i-was-in-marketing-new-product-development-the-compelling-question-we-always-asked-ourselves-was-what-was-going-to-be.html - Thanks for your comment!