‘Do us a Flavor’ is a global campaign that saw the public choose the next flavor of Lay’s chips across different markets. Introduced to the Gulf region, Lay’s took a different approach and launched its new flavor in an unconventional manner that engaged the public while respectfully handling the culture of the Middle East. The big idea for the integrated campaign, is centering the consumer in the heart of the campaign. The story stemmed from insights into the local culture of matchmaking, also driving a consumer behavior into this marketing mix. Lay’s created the character Liza Lay’s to front the campaign, with a story built around her search for a husband, who would be the next flavor. Consumers in KSA, UAE and 12 other Gulf/Levant countries were urged to submit their favorite flavor. An astonishing 269,863 submissions later, Liza chose pizza as her match. Asking the public to help choose a flavor and offer their opinion was a business first for Lay’s in the region, and proved to be a highly successful strategy, exceeding all business targets and expectations.

Particular challenges were faced in the key market of KSA, where creative activity is restricted, the market is driven by advertising, and unpaid media is hard to achieve in great volume. Additionally, in a market where most interaction with women is forbidden, careful consideration had to be given to all mechanics to ensure the campaign reached all audiences.

Objectives:

Business: drive overall brand volume by 15% and grow brand share by 1%. Campaign had to improve brand health metrics with a focus on key consumption drivers:

Brand loved (+5)

Brand trusted (+5)

Great taste (+3)

Flavor variety (+3)

Lay’s demographic is from the GCC with a focus on young adults/families ages 20-29 with no gender skew

PR:

Engage – make the brand relevant by enticing TA to participate. Start a two-way communication platform (+250,000 new Facebook fans, +200,000 YouTube views)

Engulf – strengthen affinity through entertaining/interactive platforms that captivate the audience

Entertain – create fun moments/content that builds consumer affinity

Asking the public to choose a flavor was a business first for Lay’s in the region, and proved to be a highly successful strategy, smashing all business goals and expectations:

Volume growth: +40% from Jan-May 2012 (target 15%)

Volume share of salty snacks: +2.8pts over six months (target +1%)

Most brand health metrics doubled digits in a six-month period:

Brand loved (+11; target +5)

Brand trusted (+16; target +5)

Great taste (+15; target +3)

Flavors variety (+13)

269,863 total flavor submissions

22.8m earned impressions (99% positive, 96% included key messages)

Facebook page became the most interactive/fastest growing community in the region

Within the first two weeks, the page gained 80,000 new Facebook fans

60% more Facebook fans in a single week

430,211 new Facebook fans (against a target of 250,000)

108,427 likes

56,666 comments

6.87m monthly unique users viewed Facebook page

12 videos uploaded on YouTube and Facebook

243,000 channel views, against a target of 200,000

825 gained Twitter followers

The campaign lasted five months with PR rolled across the Gulf targeting mainly UAE/KSA, where Liza Lay’s was the leading character of the campaign.

Fans submitted new chips flavor suggestions across multiple media channels and 400,000 special packs were produced to launch the campaign alongside a website and digital outdoor submissions counter integrating digital, social media, TV and radio.

Lay’s created webisodes featuring flavors impressing Liza, and gossip articles on online platforms.

A ‘create your own pack’ app and online banners resulted in double the expected click-throughs (0.36% vs. 0.18% industry average).

Guerilla stunts alerted the media with pizza boxes delivered to them containing press kits and packs of the new pizza flavor chips followed by a countdown announcement from Chef Osama on major TV channels.

A female potato proved too tasty for strict Saudi culture where certain elements needed to be amended.

Lay’s Potato Chips are produced by Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, the undisputed leader of the salty snacks category in the region. However, while Lay’s are the market leader in the Gulf region, growth has stagnated, with fully-bonded customers reducing in numbers and in their affinity with the brand. Lay’s wanted to boost brand market share and become a truly loved brand.

A team of agencies worked together on an integrated campaign that would shake consumers up with an inclusive, engaging, fun, and simple idea to create buzz, increase positive feeling towards the brand, and deliver volume sales growth.

For a first time, Lay’s asked its agencies to work together where the teams planned the campaign with the client, who worked side-by-side putting the consumer in the heart.

Flavor variety is an important consumption driver for Lay’s, so inviting consumers in the Gulf to choose a new flavor was obvious. Lay’s ‘Flavor Me!’ campaign gives consumers the power to determine the next flavor, a runaway success wherever it has been introduced. The mechanics for this regional campaign had to be simple to maximize participation and appeal: tell us your favorite flavor and we will make it. The campaign also offered scope for humor. The big idea was to create a charming potato character who was looking for her Mr. Right Flavor and wanted the public to help her choose. From PR to outdoor, in a five-month campaign starting in December 2011, Liza called her fans to action: ‘Flavor Me’.