One snack I've been into the last couple of months is Marty's Cracklin', a unique snack that's positioned as "Vegetarian Chicharon" (chicharon is a local delicacy made of crispy fried pork rind). While it Marty's Cracklin doesn't fully capture the taste of of chihcaron 100%, it does have a nice salty taste that kids and adults love.
The reason why I think Marty's Cracklin' is blogworthy because lately, it has been absent from supermarket shelves in the last month. It's not because Oishi, the company behind Marty's Cracklin', has pulled the product out but because it has been flying off the shelves.
I briefly interviewed a merchandiser from Landmark and he shared that Marty's Cracklin' is a top seller as of late. He said that the stocks more or less get sold out within the day, and sometimes people even buy Marty's Cracklin' by the box, without even letting the merchandisers place them on the shelves!
This Marty's Crackli' phenomenon reminds of the C2 Green Tea effect a few years back. C2 Green Tea took the Philippines by storm and created a new product category space in the market. Now, almost all beverage maker in the Philippines offer a green tea drink similar to C2 Green Tea. The reason it became a hit because C2 Green Tea promised healthy drink and an alternative to soda. The success of C2 Green Tea is validation that the market is looking for healthy options.
Which brings us back to Marty's Cracklin'.
Marty's Cracklin' promises that consumers will get the enjoyment of chicharon while avoiding the unhealthy side effects. But the funny thing is that as far as composition is concerned, Marty's Cracklin' contains almost the same ingredients as the majority of other snacks in the market. But compared to traditional chicharon, Marty's Cracklin' seems like a celery stick!
If you ask me, Marty's Cracklin is successful because a) excellent product positioning, b) the market is clamoring for healthy food, and c) people are probably unaware of the common ingredients Marty's Cracklin' shares with other "unhealthy" snacks.
Marty's Cracklin' is proof that ignorance is bliss and great taste.
(Photo taken from Foodiestation)
Tags: Marty's Cracklin'
