Discos comeback: KP Snacks revamps old favorite

UK-based KP Snacks - whose other chip brands include Hula Hoops, Space Invaders, Nik Naks and McCoy’s – will release the revamped Discos in the UK at the end of this month.

Nightfever: A familiar face on a crowded dance floor​

Speaking to BakeryandSnacks.com, Tanvi Savara, associate analyst at Datamonitor Consumer, said that in recent years nostalgia has been a driving market force that has influenced packaging, marketing and spurred brand re-launches and re-branding.

“It’s about inducing positive emotional responses as consumers anchor their emotions to another time or place where things were simpler and happier. We see a lot of brands trying to capitalize on this trend,”​ she explained.

In a highly saturated snack market, particularly within the chip sector, “reviving an old brand”​ may be a good way for companies to go, she said.

“There’s no hard and fast rule, but definitely they would have the additional benefit of that familiarity in the consumer mind-set as opposed to introducing a product from scratch.”​

George Johnston, marketing director of KP Snacks, was confident that their old name still strikes a cord: “Discos has a loyal fan base that enjoys the intense and exciting flavors the brand has to offer.​”

Beyond nostalgia: Don’t rest on your laurels​

However, Savara said brands must be careful not to be complacent in revamps and re-launches - “[they] can’t just simply rely on the nostalgic appeal of the product”.​

Discussing the Discos re-brand, she said that “a lot will depend on what they can offer in addition to just capitalizing on the nostalgia aspect, in terms of any flavor innovation or in multiple consumer trends like convenience and affordability”.​

Savara explained that nostalgia is really only an effective marketing tool in the short-term. “On a long-term basis you would need to rely on what we call ‘secondary selling points’. So there has to be additional reasons to buy the product.”​

She said that in this case keeping hold of the old flavors and branding while adding a few “tweaks”​ to packaging and flavor in order to modernize could be key.

The re-brand will also see a sodium reduction across salt and vinegar line and all products remain free from artificial flavourings, according to a company spokesperson. A new prawn cocktail flavor has been added to the range as well as new packaging across the board.

According to the market research and data firm AC Nielsen, Discos is worth £12.5m RSV MAT, growing at +14.1%.