Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - November 2008 - (Page 50)

Snack Food Today Show Goes Nutz about Utz or Utz potato chips, no audition was necessary. There wasn’t even a formal tryout. Like the waitress who is discovered at a local diner, the popular East Coast brand of snacks landed what has become a starring role in the hit AMC series, Mad Men, a drama depicting an advertising agency set in the early 1960s. “During [the show’s] ﬁrst season, [it] mentioned Utz in one of the storylines — just one episode,” says Alec Sivel, director of marketing for Utz Quality Foods, Inc. “We in turn sent them a note of thanks and some product for their cast/ crew.” So a star was born. This year’s second season has featured a regular appearance by Utz potato chips, which are dressed in its timeless packaging and highlighted in iconic commercials boasting, “Utz are better than nutz.” And the company wasn’t even involved. F In fact, Sivel says, Utz’ employees watched each episode just like any normal viewers who were unaware of what was coming next. “We didn’t know that they were going to feature Utz during Season Two,” he says. “They contacted us on the Friday before the Sunday airing to say that Utz was going to be prominently featured, but couldn’t provide any more detail. Needless to say, it was quite a pleasant surprise when the episode’s main plot revolved around the Utz brand.” Despite having no input in the series’ storyline, Sivel says he isn’t too apprehensive about misrepresentation of the brand. “Any press is good press, right?” he notes. “We really weren’t too concerned because we knew the show’s writers were avid Utz fans and at the end of the day, this is a ﬁctional show with ﬁctional characters in ﬁctional circumstances. It isn’t to be taken too seriously.” But with such publicity, the company can’t help but get a little nutz about Utz. Recession Could Impact Industry Don’t worry about the economy. The food industry is recession-proof because “everyone has to eat.” That’s a common perception by many people in the snack and baking industries. However, a recent survey of the food and beverage professionals show that only 18% agree that the industry is recession proof while 29% somewhat disagree and 53% strongly disagree with the statement, according to a survey conducted in October by Clear Seas Research, Troy, Mich. Moreover, the survey suggests that the headline-grabbing, stock-slumping credit crisis will have a signiﬁcant impact on food and beverage companies and their operations. In fact, 77% of those surveyed anticipate “moderate” to “great impact” on their company’s businesses. Which parts of the food industry will be hurt the most by the current credit crisis? Some 44% of respondents suggest that it’s the foodservice channel, followed by the meat, poultry and seafood industries (17%) and the retail channel (16%). Only 6% say the bakery, snack and candy industries will be most negatively impacted by the current crisis. The Clear Seas Research CLEAR PULSE survey was conducted in October. For more information, visit www.clearseasresearch.com. 50 Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - NOVEMBER 2008 10/16/07 1:50:59 PM www.snackandbakery.com SFWB1007IBS.indd 1 http://www.clearseasresearch.com http://www.snackandbakery.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - November 2008

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Cover Story: The Comeback King Royal Treatment Let Freedom Ring New Products The Heat is On Engineering Management Going in New Directions Warm Up with Cold Treats The Final Word

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - November 2008

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