In 2013, Lay’s mass-produced three new consumer-submitted flavors: Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles and Sriracha. An online voting booth opened on Facebook, Twitter and retailer sites, giving Americans the ability to vote for their favorite from anywhere.

People started choosing sides, and working hard to save their favorite by sharing “flavor propaganda” that the brand provided.

Demand far exceeded supply, so Lay’s popularized hashtags for each flavor (e.g. #foundsriracha) to help people find their favorite.

We encouraged people to write endorsements, and featured selected endorsements by turning Lay’s cover photo into a dynamic billboard of fan endorsements.

Lay’s sales increased 8.5% over the same period YoY. Support for the three consumer created flavors grew so fast that the lucky people who found them on shelves were buying them up and reselling them on Ebay and Amazon.com for as much as $38 per bag.

Lay’s improved its “Great Taste” equity. Brand tracking showed an 8% lift in “Great Taste” equity from same period in the prior year and Household penetration amongst millennials grew 12.5%.

Fans cast over 1.4 million votes for the finalist flavors. On YouTube, Lay’s fans created over 11,000 video reviews of the finalist flavors.