The potato chip has become increasingly commoditized, with the rise of Private Label, and the growth of several key competitors. Because of this, the number one problem to solve for Lay’s was brand distinction – while the brand was always top of mind during snacking occasions, consumers (especially younger consumers) were not clear on the unique product & functional benefits that make Lay’s distinct. As a way to combat this challenge of distinction, Lay’s sought to be more culturally relevant – to insert Lay’s back into the cultural conversation to gain reappraisal from younger consumers.
While Lay’s is an iconic brand, they have struggled to maintain cultural relevance, especially amongst younger consumers. We know that the way this audience is consuming content is different than ever before, and we know that their attitudes towards brands are different than any other generation. It’s not enough to reach them through traditional advertising – with the rise of ad avoidant behavior on ad-free streaming platforms and services, we needed to be strategic about how we reached these consumers with Lay’s messaging. We knew we needed to reach them on the platforms where we know that they’re consuming media, in can’t-miss content, to keep Lay’s not only top of mind but make it relevant to what was happening in culture.
Insert Snapchat – THE platform for younger consumers that was transforming how this audience digested content; into bite-size stories on a platform designed for self-expression. As Snapchat was looking to increase time spent with users on the app, they rolled out their slate of original programming – shows around three-five minutes in length, built for the mobile generation. One of the most popular of these shows was “Endless” – a “Laguna Beach” style drama that followed the personal & professional lives of two up & coming influencers.
As “Endless” entered its third season, Lay’s found the perfect content to partner with to achieve that objective of driving cultural relevance. Lay’s not only had in-show integration into the show’s episodes but by partnering with one of the series’ stars, Dylan Jordan, they created custom branded commercials that ran throughout the season.
Endless Summer Season 3 was a smash hit – reaching more than 73% of A13-24 who were on the app, and with 13MM unique viewers in March. It was also a success for Lay’s – driving +19 pts in ad awareness (1.7x above Snap benchmarks) and +11 pts in brand association (2.3x above Snap benchmarks). 65% of Snapchatters who were exposed to the custom branded content recalled seeing Lay’s advertising, proving that the brand was able to stay top of mind and relevant to consumers as they were watching the show.
