David Elliott: Is ‘the world’s loudest crisp bag’ really the sound of change?

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It is louder than “the cockpit of my jet”. That’s what a US Air Force pilot said about American crisp brand Sun Chips’ new packaging, which is made from polyactic acid, a biodegradable plant material, and is, apparently, 100% compostable.

The new bag is reportedly so loud, in fact, that outraged snack fans have brushed the crumbs from their keyboards and hit the internet to warn the world. According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), almost 30,000 people have joined a Facebook group called SORRY BUT I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THIS SUN CHIPS BAG. People have written to cinemas urging the management to eschew the brand due to its movie-ruining potential. A 12-year-old was told off by his teacher for not eating quietly enough.

But all publicity is good publicity, right? Well: the new Sun Chips bag was introduced in January and, according to figures quoted in the WSJ article, the brand has reported a year-on-year sales decline in every month since February.

Undeterred, brand owner Frito-Lay has cranked up its marketing by embracing the problem, adding the direct-to-shopper riposte, “Yes the bag is loud, that’s what change sounds like” to the crisps’ in-store displays.

Clever, and fair enough, perhaps. Cashing in on the bags’ ‘loudest crisps in the world’ novelty value could initially boost sales, but there must be a shelf life for that?

If the packaging ultimately puts people off buying the brand, regardless of its good intentions, then surely it’s not fit for purpose – it could even have the effect of turning other brands considering a similar move away from doing so.

A tricky issue, then. Should Sun Chips be lauded for its good work, or should the brand have made a bit less noise about change until it had hit the right note?

What do you think? Join in the debate and leave a comment below.

David Elliott is production editor of Packaging News.

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