Product Heritage
Frito-Lay product development personnel first explored the possibility of a multigrain product in the early 1970s when corporate marketing research studies indicated consumers were looking for nutritious snacks. A multigrain snack chip called Prontos was introduced in 1974 with the following positioning statement: “The different, delicious new snack made from nature’s own corn, oats, and whole grain wheat all rolled into one special recipe, together in a snack for the first time from Frito-Lay.” The product was only mildly successful despite advertising and merchandising support. The product was subsequently withdrawn from national distribution in 1978 due to declining sales and manufacturing difficulties. According to Frito-Lay executives, the demise of Prontos in 1978 was driven by “noncommittal” copy, a confusing name, and a product that generated appeal among too narrow a target market. Reflecting on this experience, Riskey added, “I’m not sure there were dramatic thing wrong with the product design so much as difficulty with the manufacturing process. It may have been invented and introduced before its time.”