ConAgra Turns Popcorn Bag Into a Bowl

Omaha, Neb. — Packaging for microwave popcorn hasn't changed much in 25 years, and ConAgra Foods discovered that only 45 percent of popcorn shoppers purchase this category on impulse. The company decided to change that with its newly designed Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowl.In developing the product, its displays and media support, ConAgra also found that consumers like to eat right out of the bag without having to clean anything up. The greasy, oily characteristic of the microwave bags is a "huge consumer dissatisfier," says Jesse Spungin, vice president and general manager of popcorn businesses. "I believe this Pop Up Bowl product will become the gold standard for packaging within this category." When microwaved, the bag opens into a wide, disposable bowl.The multifaceted marketing campaign comprised TV spots featuring magician Criss Angel; FSIs; a product demonstration on Orville.com; partnerships with various websites; public relations efforts that have resulted in coverage by USA Today, CBS' "The Early Show" and ABC's "The View;" social media; and in-store elements such as shelf talkers, floor displays, counter units, cooler clings and endcaps. "We partnered with broad-reach sites like People magazine and other publications where we know the female consumer is online," Spungin says.Additionally, ConAgra used QR codes on some items, including the floor displays, packaging and FSIs. At Walmart, account-specific floorstands touted the product as new. "It is about educating the customer, particularly in-store, about this innovation," says Spungin.Chicago-based Webb deVlam designed the Pop Up Bowl package. Launch Creative, Chicago, designed the in-store materials and display, while Chicago-based Smurfit-Stone and Chicago-based Ideal manufactured them. News America Marketing, New York, supplied other in-store materials, such as the shelf talkers. New York-based Possible Worldwide handled the digital efforts.ConAgra learned through market research that microwave popcorn is an impulse purchase for many shoppers. And Spungin says there's an 802% increase in sales when microwave popcorn is on feature and special display, according to snacks analysis from SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago. That's nearly twice the lift of the next highest salty snack – snack nuts with 489%."The product has full availability, and we've got significant support from multiple retailers in all classes of trade," says Spungin. "We want to get as much trial and awareness as possible with a significant innovation such as this. We know the importance of the shopper's purchase decision at the point-of-purchase, so we wanted to make sure it was a well-balanced plan, not just out-of-store."

ConAgra Turns Popcorn Bag Into a Bowl

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