A small local potato crisp manufacturer has to change its logo and packaging after Simba chips accused it of being a copycat.
The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) partially upheld Simba’s complaint against Krunch potato chips last week, saying Krunch had not adequately justified the similarities between its crowned logo and Simba’s logo.
Simba said the crown and Krunch’s slogan “The King of Flavour!” exploited elements of its logo and taglines “Roarrrs with Flavour” and “King of Snacks”.
It said the elements were associated with its brand, which has a history of almost 60 years and a 67% value share in the local chip market.
Simba also said Krunch’s slogan amounted to an unsubstantiated claim as it implied it had the best flavour, which it could not prove.
Krunch claimed the word “king” was used by other chip brands and not solely associated with Simba.
It said the crowns used by Simba and in its logo were different as Simba’s crown was traditionally worn by a king and its crown by a queen.
Krunch also said that its “The King of Flavour!” slogan was an exaggeration and could not be interpreted literally.
The ASA agreed with Krunch that the reasonable consumer would not see its slogan as fact, but sided with Simba on the other aspects of its complaint.
The ASA said Krunch had failed to prove that the image of a crown and Simba’s taglines were not the brand’s original intellectual thought.
Though Krunch had argued that a brand called King crisps used similar devices, the brand was sold in Ireland and was therefore not relevant when considering the associations South African consumers were likely to make, the ASA found.
Krunch said it planned to appeal the ASA’s decision as the cost of withdrawing its packaging might have devastating consequences for its business, including forcing it to lay off staff.
Krunch general manager Mohammed Gathoo said: “We don’t want to piggy-back off a giant . We are just looking at good flavours.”
Gathoo said Krunch was an affordable alternative to other mainstream chip brands.
Simba declined to comment.
Krunch has until February 8 to launch its appeal. — hendersonr@timesmedia.co.za
Small chip maker loses logo battle against ‘the King’
The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) partially upheld Simba’s complaint against Krunch potato chips last week, saying Krunch had not adequately justified the similarities between its crowned logo and Simba’s logo.
Simba said the crown and Krunch’s slogan “The King of Flavour!” exploited elements of its logo and taglines “Roarrrs with Flavour” and “King of Snacks”.
It said the elements were associated with its brand, which has a history of almost 60 years and a 67% value share in the local chip market.
Simba also said Krunch’s slogan amounted to an unsubstantiated claim as it implied it had the best flavour, which it could not prove.
Krunch claimed the word “king” was used by other chip brands and not solely associated with Simba.
It said the crowns used by Simba and in its logo were different as Simba’s crown was traditionally worn by a king and its crown by a queen.
Krunch also said that its “The King of Flavour!” slogan was an exaggeration and could not be interpreted literally.
The ASA agreed with Krunch that the reasonable consumer would not see its slogan as fact, but sided with Simba on the other aspects of its complaint.
The ASA said Krunch had failed to prove that the image of a crown and Simba’s taglines were not the brand’s original intellectual thought.
Though Krunch had argued that a brand called King crisps used similar devices, the brand was sold in Ireland and was therefore not relevant when considering the associations South African consumers were likely to make, the ASA found.
Krunch said it planned to appeal the ASA’s decision as the cost of withdrawing its packaging might have devastating consequences for its business, including forcing it to lay off staff.
Krunch general manager Mohammed Gathoo said: “We don’t want to piggy-back off a giant . We are just looking at good flavours.”
Gathoo said Krunch was an affordable alternative to other mainstream chip brands.
Simba declined to comment.
Krunch has until February 8 to launch its appeal. — hendersonr@timesmedia.co.za
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