Dive Brief:
- With mash-up flavored favorites like Tangy Buffalo Wing and Loaded Baked Potato already in its product portfolio, Pringles has now teamed with ramen noodle maker Nissin to create Top Ramen Chicken flavored Pringles, according to Cosmopolitan.
- Starting this month, the new chip variety will be sold exclusively at Dollar General on a limited-time basis for about $1.50 per can.
- The internet is already buzzing with personal reviews of the product, and consumers seem to enjoy the nostalgia factor of the new Pringles variety, which remind many people of their college days.
Dive Insight:
All things old are new again, or so it seems. Vintage apparel is in, as is antique and refurbished furniture. Food increasingly is following the throwback trend too. Some food makers are appealing to consumers’ memories of yesteryear and good times by introducing — or in some cases, reintroducing — nostalgic brands or creating nostalgia-themed products and packaging.
Top Ramen flavored Pringles capitalize on consumer nostalgia for their college days, where cheap bricks of dried ramen noodles have traditionally been a staple meal. Among the consumer comments cited by Cosmopolitan, one woman said, "This takes me right back to my college dorm room, and I don't hate it." Another said, "It tastes like someone poured the [Top Ramen] flavor packet on a can of plain Pringles. And I mean that in the best way."
It's unclear whether or not these comments came from Cosmopolitan staff or consumers they interviewed, but this is the kind of consumer-generated PR and brand-building that companies dream of — all thanks to the fun flavor innovation and nostalgic nature of the new Pringles mash-up.
Give credit to the Pringles-Nissin partnership for its other smart marketing plays as well. The new throwback flavor is available for a limited time only, creating urgency for consumers to buy them before they’re gone. Then there’s the collectible appeal associated with these types of novelty-oriented limited-offer goods. Add in the fact that Top Ramen-flavored Pringles are being sold as a Dollar General exclusive and you have the makings for a buzzworthy product launch.