Snack food demand, as predicted, has skyrocketed during the pandemic, as consumers often turn to comfort foods in times of crisis.

Mondelez is a beneficiary, and the brand’s insights are showing that snacking was up by 50% in Canada in the first two months of the pandemic.

Christie’s Crispers lineup, which has not seen any product innovation in a decade, now has a new flavour: cheddar. The new SKU will add to the current Crispers lineup of dill pickle, salt and vinegar, ranch, all-dressed and BBQ. And it is being promoted with big, bold, red in-store shopper creative reflecting its Christie’s heritage, which has nostalgia in spades and the distinctive tagline, “Mr. Christie, you make good cookies.”

Mondelez is focusing its marketing efforts in-store, reversing the pandemic trend of shopper budgets being redirected at ecommerce or digital. As Mondelez Canada president Martin Parent said in May, the company is seeing shoppers go “back to the future,” marrying instant gratification and future consumption with a boost in e-comm, but also a return to large weekly shops in grocery, a sandbox the snack CPG is comfortable playing in.

“Winning in-store has always been core to snacking,” says Mackenzie Davison, Mondelez’s VP of growth and marketing, who adds that store elements, partnerships, key display activities and strong adjacencies are fundamental. In Metro Quebec, for example, Crispers displays have coupons and are adjacent to beer and paired with Labatt to associate beer and snacking. There are also specialty beer and wine aisle displays featuring the new flavour. Other in-store displays put it next to other Christie brands, like Oreo and Chips Ahoy!

“Our focus is in-store, especially now with Canadians seeking snacking solutions,” Davison says, and she adds that Crispers’ broad brand positioning is all about igniting snacking. “We wanted to be seen by shoppers, at the right time for snacking occasions. The brand has to pop in the centre of stores.”

Crispers appeals broadly for different snacking needs, and that Mondelez is going after a broad audience. Davison says the Christie brand stands for quality and has solid taste credentials built up over decades. Based on its testing, she says, it reinforces brand attributes like “goodness” to break through on shelf, which is why it is leaning more on the Christie name than Crispers.

To promote the flavour, there was also a national coupon support with $1.00 off any Crispers that was purchased in the lead up to St. Jean Baptiste and Canada Day. Like the other SKUs, the cheddar flavour comes in a resealable bag, based on Mondelez data showing strong on-the-go format lifestyle appeal.