More for Your Money?

by allison ~ May 12, 2009

Due to the economy, consumers are always trying to get more for their money. It makes sense that competing advertisers work around the clock and are even going as far as pairing up with one another to reassure consumers of their current deals.

Recently, an extremely clever advertisement between Chips Ahoy cookies and Capri Sun juice drinks is grabbing consumers’ attention. According to the New York Times, “Chips Ahoy cookies and Capri Sun juice drinks team up for an ad centered on serving two snacks  ‘for about a dollar,’ a concept that gets its own coined word (”Why snackrifice?”) and Web site (whysnackrifice.com). Kraft and Nestlé, which make those products, are among the growing ranks of marketers playing up the perceived value of packaged foods. They are seeking to capitalize on the opportunity presented by consumers’ dining out less.” http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Budget/whysnackrifice/CHIPSAHOY.aspx

In the New York Times article, “Food Brands Compete to Stretch a Dollar” Stuart Elliot focuses on the May 18 issue of People Magazine. According to the Times, “Turn to Page 118, where an advertisement for Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh meats proclaims how they taste ‘deli fresh. But without the deli counter price.’”

It is clear that advertisers are trying to make consumers feel like they are getting more for their money. A recent Lean Cuisine frozen food ad states, “We believe in food that’s good for you and good for your wallet.”

As far as getting more for the same price goes- Frito-Lay is on to something. “Another packaged-foods giant, the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo, is making a value play by adding 20 percent more product to selected bags of snacks like Cheetos, Fritos and Tostitos without increasing prices. The promotion is to last ‘for the next few months,’ an announcer says in radio commercials that end with the words ‘Frito-Lay, sponsoring smiles for 76 years’ - that is, since 1933, a particularly depressed year during the Great Depression.”

To read the complete NY Times article, click here.