CHICAGO -- America's two largest hot dog makers are waging a wiener war as grills fire up this summer, hoping to win over customers and secure the No. 1 spot atop the stagnating frank market, reported the Associated Press. The latest round in the long-running feud comes as Kraft Foods Inc.'s Oscar Mayer brand gives its signature hot dog a makeover aimed at stealing momentum from Sara Lee Corp.'s Ball Park Franks.
Kraft hopes its reformulation—the first in 20 years for the all-beef hot dog—and a massive promotional campaign attract new customers and their palates with a zestier, [image-nocss] meatier recipe. Consumers are "continuing to look for higher flavors, beefier, juicier hot dogs and we saw that as an opportunity to grow that portion of our business," said Sean Marks, senior director of marketing for Oscar Mayer.
Both suburban Chicago food manufacturers claim the designation as the nation's top hot dog brand, based on separate readings of market research and sales data. Experts say the frank fight may become more difficult as the economy sours and hot dog consumption—at least among adults—hits its lowest level since the mid-1980s.
"You can say, at best, long-term, it's flat," Harry Balzer, a vice president with research firm NPD Group, told the news agency. "[But] it's still a valuable market."
So valuable, in fact, that about 956 million packages of hot dogs were sold at U.S. retailers in the past year, according to data cited by AP from The Nielsen Co. That's on top of the estimated 30 million hot dogs—often regional brands—that Major League Baseball fans down each season at the nation's ballparks. Grocery sales of were pegged at about $2 billion last year. According to NPD data, 48% of American children aged 18 and under will eat at least one hot dog in the next two weeks.
That alone is enough for companies to take notice—particularly Kraft and Sara Lee, which are both in the midst of turnaround plans aimed at reviving stalled sales.
Kraft is also spending the summer promoting its line of snack-sized hot dogs that launched in April by sending its new "Mini Weinermobile" on a nationwide marketing tour along side the full-scale model.
Meanwhile, Sara Lee is touting its angus beef franks, turkey franks and whole-grain buns that it announced in May.
"Both of us are evolving with consumers," said Chuck Hemmingway, brand director for Ball Park.
Both companies declined to release specific information how much they have increased hot dog prices to cope with rising commodities costs or how much they are spending to promote their hot dog products. But Kraft is pricing its revamped Beef Franks at $3.99, about a dime more than previous versions.
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