SkinnyPop

Popcorn Brand Analysis

MKT 419

Brianna Lang












"The Skinny"

SkinnyPop Popcorn brand believes in snacking without compromise. This means

using fewer, cleaner, simpler ingredients to produce the best tasting, better-for-you

snacking popcorn1.

Andrew Friedman, co-owner of SkinnyPop Popcorn, did not originally start off with

the idea of "healthy popcorn". Instead, Friedman and his business partner Pam Netzky

originally opened a popcorn shop in Chicago called Wells Street Popcorn2. It was meant to

be a tamer version of the very popular Garrett's Popcorn. After realizing that they could not

sustain a successful business on snacks that consumers considered a "once-in-a-while-

treat", Friedman and Netzky landed on the idea of a "better-for-you" product. The

SkinnyPop Popcorn brand was born from this idea in 2010. SkinnyPop Popcorn is unique in

the fact that it is allergen-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and the

original flavor is only 39 calories per cup2! The brand, now part of Amplify Snack Brands, is

booming and does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The brand's sales have

grown by over 300 percent in the last two years, landing it the number four spot in the

popcorn market3. SkinnyPop Popcorn can now be found nationwide in thousands of grocery

stores and retailers.

Digital Media Strategy

Reports confirm that SkinnyPop Popcorn focuses their marketing efforts on social

media, public relations, word of mouth, and influencers4. Social media is the brands primary

way of marketing their products. They understand that digital is the most cost-effective and

successful way to reach their target audience.

Target Audience

The primary target audience for SkinnyPop Popcorn is young, active, educated

women5. This demographic tends to be health-conscious when it comes to lifestyle and

snacking choices. SkinnyPop aligns their brand's voice, values, and personality with this

audience by using young, carefree, playful language in all of their marketing to tell their

story across platforms, also known as using transmedia. Research also shows that this

audience is very active online, which validates the brand's reasoning behind going

completely digital6.

The secondary audience is young families. The brand markets to this audience by

promoting natural, simple ingredients as well as positioning itself as an easy, ready-to-go

snack.

Scope of Digital Presence

SkinnyPop Popcorn has a decently wide scope of digital presence online. Below,

specific digital platforms and practices are outlined:

Social Media

SkinnyPop Popcorn effectively uses social media as their main form of marketing.

The brand can be found active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube7.

Social Media Statistics:

§ Facebook- 129.6k likes, 128k followers

§ Instagram-13.3k followers
§ Twitter-18.1k followers
§ YouTube- 472 subscribers

When posting to social media sites, SkinnyPop does a great job at interacting with

consumers. One of the 36 rules of social media states, "if all you do is respond to complaints,

that is all people will send you." SkinnyPop Popcorn takes this advice and responds to
almost every comment (good and bad),

often thanking consumers for being fans,

assisting in poor reviews, or directing

consumers to their site for more details. I

personally tweeted at SkinnyPop on Twitter

and I got a response within a day. It was

reassuring that they actually see their

consumers thoughts. By taking the time

to respond to each post, SkinnyPop

Popcorn is showing customers that they

care, therefore building a positive

relationship with consumers.

Another one of the 36 rules of social media is to "update your page or delete it".

SkinnyPop Popcorn keeps their pages up to date and they post frequently, which is

important so that they can remain relevant among their consumers. In addition to

interacting with consumers, SkinnyPop Popcorn utilizes earned media by posting a large

amount of user generated content. This often comes in the form of reposting pictures that

consumers have tagged the brand in. User generated content is a cost effective way to build

trust among consumers.

The young, playful, witty voice of the brand is consistent across all platforms. Their

wording, graphics, and videos all create a sense of "wholesome fun". This voice allows

SkinnyPop to appear relatable and interesting to both their primary and secondary

audiences.

Partnering with Other Digital Sources

 SkinnyPop Popcorn uses digital partnerships as part of their marketing tactics. For

example, in October of this past year, SkinnyPop partnered with Buzzfeed, an online social

news and entertainment company, in order to

increase awareness and purchase intent5. Buzzfeed

produced two pieces of original branded content, a

quiz and a how-to-guide that featured SkinnyPop

throughout. Results were impressive. The two posts

received more than 650,000 views with a social lift of

1.2X (for every 10 people who saw the SkinnyPop content, two additional people saw it via

sharing) 5. SkinnyPop Popcorn also uses celebrity influencers in the digital space to attract

consumers. Celebrities such as Selena Gomez can be seen posing with SkinnyPop in her

Instagram photos. This helps reach a larger audience and uses the propaganda technique of

testimony to persuade consumers to buy.

Brand Website

Skinnypop.com is a great tool for consumers to use. The website features

information ranging from ingredients and FAQs, to a store locator, ecommerce page, and

links to their social media accounts7.

Store Locator Tool

The store locator tool allows consumers to search by product and location to find

what stores in their area carry SkinnyPop Popcorn. It provides contact information for the

various stores and has a form that customers can fill out if they want to request SkinnyPop

in a store that currently does not carry the brand. The tool is run through Mobify, which is a

mobile-commerce and customer engagement platform8. This suggests that SkinnyPop

Popcorn will be able to use the store locator tool to gain information and insights about

their consumers.
Ecommerce Page

There is a tab on the SkinnyPop website that allows consumers to purchase straight

from the site. It offers 10% off customer's first order when they enter their email address.

4.4-ounce bags (standard size) are listed for $4.29 a bag and 12-pack boxes are available for

$47.889. Currently, the brand is running a promotion in which customers can receive two

free 4.4-ounce bags when they spend over $49. When purchasing from their ecommerce

site, guests are required to create an account with their personal information. While it

makes paying and tracking your order easy, it can also be used later by the brand for

consumer insights.

After conducting a web search for "buy SkinnyPop", it was found that retailers such

as Walmart, Lowes, and Jet.com list the 4.4-ounce bags for $3.29 as compared to

Skinnypop.com at $4.2910. Amazon lists their bags from $2.88 to $3.35 with better deals on

bulk purchases11.

SEO

SkinnyPop Popcorn uses search engine optimization (SEO) to appear as a top search

result when certain keywords and phrases are typed in. When "buy SkinnyPop" was typed

into Google, Walmart, Lowes, and

Jet.com were the first search results

in the sponsored ad space, however,

Skinnypop.com held the first four

spots (after paid advertisements)

on the page. When searching just

"SkinnyPop", the brand takes

control over the first 10 pages. No competitors show up within those 10 pages. When

searching "healthy popcorn", competitors such as Smartfood Popcorn (Pespsico: Frito-Lay)

and BoomChickaPop (Angie's) show up in the sponsored ad spaces just after the SkinnyPop

Popcorn brand. This suggests that competitors are also buying up these keywords to remain

competitive with SkinnyPop.

Programmatic Advertising

Another aspect of digital that SkinnyPop Popcorn

utilizes is programmatic advertising. Programmatic advertising

is used to better target the right consumers at the right time

with specific advertisements. Brands, such as SkinnyPop

Popcorn that focus on digital advertising can benefit from

using programmatic technology. After following this brand

closely for the past semester by visiting their website, social

media accounts, and using web search engines, it can be noted

that SkinnyPop does in fact appear to be using programmatic

advertising. After visiting their website on my phone, I found

myself getting SkinnyPop Popcorn advertisements served to

my Facebook homepage on my laptop computer. I have also noticed SkinnyPop sponsored

Instagram posts showing up on my Instagram Feed.

Digital Complements Other Marketing

SkinnyPop Popcorn does not use much traditional marketing. As mentioned

previously, SkinnyPop places their focus in digital marketing. SkinnyPop Popcorn has never

run a print advertisement, television advertisement, or an out-of-home advertisement

(billboard, flyers, etc.). The only "traditional" form of marketing that the brand does is in-

store displays and product packaging.

In-store
 I went to Kroger multiple times this semester and always found myself in the

"health food" aisle. SkinnyPop is located by all the other simple, healthy ingredient foods. A

marketing tactic that they use is that they often have displays set up on the end of the aisle

so that they are the first product seen. In the aisle, SkinnyPop is also located in the "bulls-

eye-zone" (second and third shelf). The brand must pay to have their products positioned at

that location12.

Product Packaging

Another form of traditional marketing that SkinnyPop brand uses is brand

recognition and product packaging. As one of the five P's on marketing, packaging is very

important. How the product is packaged plays a large role in consumer attraction and

purchase. SkinnyPop Popcorn chooses to use the color scheme of white, blue, red, and neon

green. These colors are attention grabbing and simple, suggesting that the product is also

simple. The border color on the bag differs depending on the flavor. This helps consumers

instantly know there is a difference in products. The middle of the bags boasts the brand

logo, which is easily recognizable to consumers who have seen it before. The logo is the

same one featured on the brand's website and social media accounts, so it maintains

consistency and aids in brand recognition when it is placed on the physical product.

Competitor Analysis

SkinnyPop Popcorn's largest competitor is Smartfood Popcorn by Pepsico's Frito-

Lay brand. Smartfood Popcorn was created in 1985, but sold to Frito-Lay in 198913. Though
Smartfood has been around much longer than SkinnyPop, SkinnyPop Popcorn has

surpassed Smartfood in sales. Last year, Smartfood was the

second best-selling ready-to-eat popcorn brand, next to

SkinnyPop, based on dollar sales of about $165.6 million.

SkinnyPop had $183.4 million in sales14. When it comes to social

media strategy, SkinnyPop is blowing Smartfood Popcorn out of

the water. The last time Smartfood posted on their Instagram

was 51 weeks ago. Their Twitter has not been updated since April (and they only posted

about once a month). Smartfood's Facebook page is much more active than their other

accounts, but they do not interact with customer's comments. As mentioned previously,

when "healthy popcorn" is typed into Google, SkinnyPop Popcorn shows up before

Smartfood does in the sponsored ad space. I also conducted a Google trends analysis and I

found that Smartfood Popcorn had more traffic than SkinnyPop Popcorn.

However, I believe that SkinnyPop is still generating more sales than Smartfood due to

there ecommerce site straight on their website. Smartfood Popcorn does not have an

ecommerce store on their site. Overall, SkinnyPop is doing a much better job than their

largest competitor, Smartfood Popcorn, when it comes to their digital strategy.

Recommendations

SkinnyPop Popcorn is doing particularly well when it comes to the digital space by

keeping up to date with posts, interacting with consumers, having an effective

website/ecommerce store, and utilizing SEO and programmatic advertising. They really

know what they're doing and it is working for them!

When it comes to personal recommendations for how the brand can improve

digitally, I only have a few suggestions. First, SkinnyPop should partner with more digital
companies for sponsored, branded content social media posts. Buzzfeed is the only

company that SkinnyPop has partnered with so fair and based off it it's success, the brand

would benefit from doing this again, perhaps with a food account such as Tasty. They could

sponsor a tasty video for "different ways to spice up your popcorn" or something similar

that would require the product to be shown throughout. Another recommendation would

be to adjust their price in their ecommerce store so that it matches the price of other online

retailers. This would help get people to their personal ecommerce site rather than other

retailers. My last suggestion would be to buy up more keywords and sponsored space on

search engines so that they appear when consumers type in a competitors name. For

example, they should pay for the words "boom" or "chicka" so that they would appear when

someone types in BoomChickaPop Popcorn. Overall, I think SkinnyPop Popcorn is doing a

great job in the digital space, but by incorporating my suggestions, they could be an even

more successful brand online.

1 "SkinnyPop Popcorn | Home." SkinnyPop Popcorn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
2 "SkinnyPop's Chicago Story." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
3 "Cleaning Up Popcorn: SkinnyPop Overshadows Rivals." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, n.d. Web. 11

Dec. 2016.
4 "Investor Presentation" Amplify Snack Brands, June 2016,

http://investors.amplifysnackbrands.com/interactive/newlookandfeel/4604636/JunePresentation2
016.pdf.
5 https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedmarketing/skinnypop-

success?utm_term=.joEdPJBbj#.evLVRegDw
6 The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
7 "Contact | SkinnyPop Popcorn." SkinnyPop Popcorn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
8 Mobify. "Mobify - Mobile Customer Engagement Platform." Mobify. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
9 "Skinny Pop." SkinnyPop® - Welcome to the SkinnyPop® Online Store! N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
10 "Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
11 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-

keywords=skinnypop+popcorn&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Askinnypop+popcorn
12 Simple, Editor Of Real. "The Secrets Behind Your Grocery Store’s Layout." Real Simple. N.p., 2015.

Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

13 Lawrence., Jennifer. "SMARTFOOD RIDES POPCORN SEESAW." Advertising Age News RSS. N.p.,

1994. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

14 President, BCG Senior Vice. "U.S. Leading Brands of Ready-to-eat Popcorn Based on Dollar Sales,

2016 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.