Whatever happened to Jiffy Pop?

Corporate ownership and a shift in consumer popcorn behavior has made this brilliant self-cooking package-of-fun nothing more than a marginalized curiosity. Its also an incredibly under-leveraged brand.

You can still find Jiffy Pop at most major supermarkets – on some bottom shelf overwhelmed by a seemingly endless variety of microwave popcorns. And, as a brand within a ConAgra portfolio that includes powerhouses like ACT II and Orville Redenbacher’s, Jiffy Pop is probably lucky to get any attention at all.

Pity to see a brand like this just wasting away. Some of Jiffy Pop’s magic is a shared experience which very few products could match. Sounds, smells, that constant shake of the pan over the stove (or the campfire), that mushrooming foil top. Rich and deep multi-sensory associations that other brands can only dream about (if brands could dream). Yet, there it sits as the relic of the snack food aisle.

This is a brand ripe for re-discovery. And if ConAgra wanted to put some muscle behind it, think of the possibilities: Promotional Initiatives – perhaps with a chic appliance brand like Viking; Brand Extensions – into other innovative, self-contained food-making kits; Licensed Merchandise – how much fun would it be to have an exceedingly hip Jiffy Pop cap, T-shirt or gym bag?

But alas, this vibrant brand with all the potential of an unpopped kernel continues to languish in the ConAgra empire.