How to win Competitive Rivalries – the Potato Crisps example

In most major food categories, competitive rivalries that have been built up over decades result in a profit-sapping stalemate.

Just occasionally  as I was reminded from the recent Channel 4 documentary, “The Secret World of Crisps*”, the equilibrium is disturbed and a clear winner emerges.

Why is it that some Brands mange to win this competitive war, even when the odds seem finely balanced.

Well the necessaries include;

• A product experience that is at least as good or better (60:40 wins help, but is often difficult to achieve)

• A brand that is both known and relevant (increasingly this requires affirming the right values, and not dropping the ball on key aspects such as sustainability)

• A Comms. strategy that cuts through to articulate the above (but most companies have access to the same creatives)

… but from what I have seen after 30 years of competitive strategy, these are not sufficient on their own.

What is needed is a commercial team that truly believes they are fighting a competitive war: understanding the enemy, developing the commercial strategy, relentlessly implementing it and being responsive and creative on the battle field.  It is no surprise that the documentary highlighted how the Walker’s team had this mentality as they took on and routed Golden Wonder.

*https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-secret-world-of/on-demand/71484-002