Nik Naks ad focuses on 'crazy personality'
continued development of the product's 'personality' by owner
Golden Wonder, an approach which continues to win over new
consumers to the quirky snack even at the height of the health food
craze.
Golden Wonder's latest £2 million Nik Naks campaign has already begun. Called 'Nice Chest', the advertisement was created by advertising company J Walter Thompson to highlight the long-cultivated 'freakish' nature of the knobbly-shaped snack, according to market analysts Datamonitor.
Featuring the new strapline 'Eat the Freak', the ad is set on board a cross-channel ferry where a group of young boys and girls are enjoying a drink around a table. A girl joins the group with some snacks and gives one boy some Nik Naks. Once he has started devouring the crisps, he begins to convulse and shake.
His friends think it is a joke until he collapses on the table and a gigantic Nik Nak erupts from his chest in a cloud of orange powder. The slot ends with a voiceover saying: "They're monstrous, deformed and available in four stupid flavours".
Nik Naks promotions have long focused on the oddity of the product's shape, but the new advertisements are aimed at emphasising the brand's explosive personality and non-traditional flavours, according to Datamonitor.
"As the sensory mega-trend continues to drive consumers to search for new experiences and more intense consumption experiences, especially in impulse snacks, the timing and creative idea behind Golden Wonder's TV campaign seems highly appropriate," the analysts said.
The campaign highlights the intense consumption experience of Nik Naks, a factor especially important when targeting younger audiences who are typically more attracted to flavour extremities and gregarious brand positioning in their search for 'cool'.
"With a focus on conveying the product's unique taste sensation, the brand is likely to create renewed appeal for its target audience of teenagers and young adults: a consumer group that is generally more open-minded to trying more extreme flavour sensations," said Datamonitor.
"In addition, by personifying the brand - allowing the brand to assume its own attitude - Golden Wonder is differentiating the product from competitors with more mainstream positionings. The attitude that a brand conveys increasingly influences young consumers' perception of a brand's relative coolness, another key factor in appealing to youths."
