Cracker Jack Essay

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CRACKER JACK An analysis of potential brand acquisition by Diversified Products Corporation John Bry Sonja Gessling Phil Mark Sara Meinke Jordan Schulz Som Thamma Cindy Tsai Cohort C ‐ Team 4 CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS: Cracker Jack (CJ) is a classic American caramel-coated popcorn and peanut snack that was acquired by Frito-Lay (FL) in 1997.1,2 Sales peaked in 1998 to $100M but soon sank back to $30M per year and has remained at that level since.3 Several factors are attributed to this sales slump. FL incorporated CJ into its existing distribution model that utilizes Direct Store Delivery and packaged CJ in Mylar bags (as opposed to the classic boxes).They also shelved CJ with other Frito-Lay salty snack products such as Lays Potato Chips, despite 98% of consumers rating CJ as a sweet snack and not a salty one. 4 Although priced lower than the leading caramel corn brands, CJ still appears expensive when merchandised next to inexpensive potato chips. Consequently CJ has numerous misalignments and a comparatively low profit margin (8.2% compared to snack average of 20.5%).5,6 The low price point combined with rising commodity prices has forced FL to substantially cut the quality of the prizes found inside each box to control costs, angering long time consumers.7 CJ, having stagnant sales for the past ten years, has not received the support required for brand revitalization, instead relying on steady baseball stadium sales to survive.8 Overall CJ has become a neglected brand and is ripe for acquisition. MARKETING RECOMMENDATIONS: First, DPC will merchandise CJ with other caramel popcorns, which will permit a price increase of $0.29 (19.5%). This will temporarily decrease sales by 6% but provide an increase in operating income by $3.96M. We will also repackage CJ in the classic cardboard box at a price of 2.3 cents per box. The new boxes will permit a price

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