Walkers is gearing up for a retro relaunch of Monster Munch in the impulse sector as it tries to reverse a 9% drop in total sales.
The iconic range, which first hit shelves in 1977, will return to its original packaging, recipe and flavours from the beginning of next month, following research that suggested consumers preferred the old-style crisps and packets.
“The core target of the relaunch is 18 to 24-year-old men who have huge nostalgia for the Monster Munch of their childhood,” said Dominic South, senior brand manager of impulse channels at Walkers.
“This group is the primary shopper in impulse stores so we are beginning the resurrection of the brand here.”
In an unusual move, however, the changes will initially only apply to the single Big Eat packs sold via the impulse convenience sector, while multipacks will remain unchanged.
The revamp would also help broaden the appeal of the brand with older consumers, who would recognise it from the past, South added.
The packaging will be almost identical to the original, but will carry the health claims introduced across all Walkers brands at the beginning of 2007. The recipe, too, has had to make concessions to modern times, so while Walkers is bringing back the old crunchier texture and bigger size, the crisps will this time be cooked in Sunseed oil, in line with the company’s health agenda.
The marketing push kicks off next month, with online ads and branded products such as T-shirts. Last year, sales of the total Monster Munch brand fell to £29.8m [Nielsen MAT to 17 May 2008].
Walkers is just the latest in a number of players to go retro. Nestlé led the charge a few years back with the relaunch of its Texan bar, and more recently Cadbury temporarily brought back Opal Fruits, while Wispa was recently made a permanent line again.
Hovis joined the trend this month, replacing its wheatsheaf logo with the boy-on-bicycle image from its 1970s television advert.
The iconic range, which first hit shelves in 1977, will return to its original packaging, recipe and flavours from the beginning of next month, following research that suggested consumers preferred the old-style crisps and packets.
“The core target of the relaunch is 18 to 24-year-old men who have huge nostalgia for the Monster Munch of their childhood,” said Dominic South, senior brand manager of impulse channels at Walkers.
“This group is the primary shopper in impulse stores so we are beginning the resurrection of the brand here.”
In an unusual move, however, the changes will initially only apply to the single Big Eat packs sold via the impulse convenience sector, while multipacks will remain unchanged.
The revamp would also help broaden the appeal of the brand with older consumers, who would recognise it from the past, South added.
The packaging will be almost identical to the original, but will carry the health claims introduced across all Walkers brands at the beginning of 2007. The recipe, too, has had to make concessions to modern times, so while Walkers is bringing back the old crunchier texture and bigger size, the crisps will this time be cooked in Sunseed oil, in line with the company’s health agenda.
The marketing push kicks off next month, with online ads and branded products such as T-shirts. Last year, sales of the total Monster Munch brand fell to £29.8m [Nielsen MAT to 17 May 2008].
Walkers is just the latest in a number of players to go retro. Nestlé led the charge a few years back with the relaunch of its Texan bar, and more recently Cadbury temporarily brought back Opal Fruits, while Wispa was recently made a permanent line again.
Hovis joined the trend this month, replacing its wheatsheaf logo with the boy-on-bicycle image from its 1970s television advert.
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