Do Us A Flavor Campaign by Lay's

You know that feeling when you walk into an ice cream shop and see flavors you have never imagined - wasabi, lavender honey, or even bacon?

You pause, intrigued. Who came up with these? And why do they exist?

Lay’s tapped into this exact curiosity but took it a step further. Instead of deciding the next chip flavor in a boardroom, they handed the power to people like you.

They asked: What should we make next?

Millions answered. Some ideas were wild, some were brilliant, and a few made it onto store shelves. And just like that, Lay’s didn’t just sell chips.

They made snack lovers feel like product creators. This drove record sales, massive engagement, and a shift in how brands involve their customers.

Let’s break it down.

Executive Summary

Lay's came up with a simple but brilliant idea.

They asked regular people to create new potato chip flavors.

First, anyone could send in their flavor idea. People shared millions of flavor ideas, like Cheesy Garlic Bread and Chicken and Waffles.

Then, Lay's picked a few finalist flavors and turned them into real chips (limited) that people could buy in stores (just like the other Lay's packets).

Next, everyone got to try these new flavors and vote for their favorite. People voted online, by text message, or using hashtags on social media.

The person with the winning flavor won one million dollars!

Plus, their chip flavor would stay on store shelves as a regular Lay's product.

This contest was a win for everyone.

Customers had fun creating and voting for flavors. Lay's got tons of attention on social media and in the news, and more people bought Lay's chips during the contest.

And Lay's learned what flavors their customers exactly wanted. The campaign was so successful that Lay's ran it for years worldwide in many countries.

And for some reason, this changed how food companies think about working with their customers to create new products.

Marketing Strategy

Lay's didn't just want to sell more chips through Do Us a Flavor. They wanted people to feel connected to the Lay's brand in a new way.

1. Getting People Excited

Lay's knew that asking customers for ideas would make them feel important. When you suggest a flavor, you care more about what happens.

You tell your friends and family to vote for your idea. You check back to see if you might win. That creates excitement that regular ads can't match.

2. Creating a Long-Term Event

Most chip promotions last a few weeks. "Do Us a Flavor" stretched across months.

Some days for people to submit their ideas and some more for the brand to announce the finalists. After that, the chips appeared in stores for people to try.

Finally, there was voting and picking a winner. All this kept Lay's in people's minds for much longer than a regular campaign.

3. Building Social Media Buzz

Lay's designed the contest to be perfect for social media. People naturally wanted to share their flavor ideas online. They asked friends to vote for them.

They posted pictures of themselves trying the finalist flavors. All this sharing gave Lay's free advertising worth millions of dollars.

4. Learning From Customers & Creating Seasonal Excitement

The contest was also a giant research project.

Lay's collected millions of flavor ideas that showed what people truly wanted. This information helped them better understand food trends and taste preferences.

Plus, Lay's ran the contest during times when chip sales were usually slower.

And that gave people a reason to buy chips, even if not during summer cookouts and holiday parties. It turned ordinary months into a special "flavor voting season."

5. Making it Work in Stores

Lay's made sure grocery stores loved the promotion, too.

The contest brought shoppers to the chip aisle more often as the special packaging for finalist flavors stood out on shelves. Store managers were happy to give extra display space because the contest flavors sold so well.

With all these things in mind, Lay's created a marketing plan that worked much better than a regular ad campaign could.

How Did the Brand Do This?

Lay's made this contest to be easy for everyone to join.

People could submit their flavor ideas through the website, social media, text messages, or the Lay's mobile app. They only needed a flavor name, a few ingredients, and a short story about why their flavor idea was unique.

The simple entry process helped millions of people participate without feeling confused.

To spread the word, Lay's partnered with popular celebrities that people trusted and liked:

• Eva Longoria, a well-known actress, appeared in TV commercials

• Chef Michael Symon helped judge the flavor submissions

• These famous faces talked about the contest on TV shows and social media

Here’s a commercial featuring both:

And Lay's producing the finalist flavors as another Lay's product made this contest so different from others. Each year, they picked 3 to 4 top ideas and put them on store shelves across the country.

They came in special bags that stood out from regular Lay's products, which indirectly said that these were contest finalists people could try and vote for.

Lay's also made voting fun and accessible in multiple ways:

• Buying bags and entering codes found inside

• Using hashtags on Twitter like #VoteCheeseGarlic

• Clicking vote buttons on the Lay's website

• Using the Lay's mobile app to cast daily votes

The contest wasn't just about flavors - it was about the stories behind them. Lay's asked people why their flavor idea mattered.

Was it a family-inspired recipe? A favorite restaurant meal?

These personal stories connected with other customers, and Lay's featured them in advertisements and packaging.

The $1 million grand prize grabbed everyone's attention and made headlines.

Here’s a winner for example:

This giant reward showed that Lay's was serious about finding the next great flavor and valued customer input. The prize money alone generated news coverage that would have cost millions in advertising.

The contest worked worldwide because Lay's adapted it for each country:

• In Thailand, they focused on local spicy flavors

• In Canada, they highlighted regional dishes

• In the UK, they tied flavors to local food traditions

To complete the experience, Lay's created unique in-store displays where shoppers could find all finalist flavors together.

Some grocery stores even hosted tasting events where customers could sample each flavor before deciding which to buy and support.

These displays turned regular chip shopping into an exciting event.

Results

The Do Us a Flavor contest was a resounding win for Lay's:

• When the contest launched in the USA in 2012, Lay's got more than 3.8 million flavor submissions. That's millions of people taking time to think up a chip flavor and share it!

• Sales jumped during contest periods. Lay's saw about 12% higher sales when the finalist flavors were in stores. People were also buying more regular Lay's chips with the contest ones.

• Cheesy Garlic Bread (the first US winner) sold out in many stores. Even non-winning flavors like Chicken and Waffles created buzz and got people talking about Lay's.

• The campaign won several important awards in the marketing industry, including an Effie Award for marketing effectiveness.

• The most impressive result was the campaign's duration. "Do Us a Flavor" ran for years - from 2012 to 2017 in the US and even longer in some other countries. This shows how successful it was.

Perhaps the best result was how the relationship changed between Lay's relationship and its customers. People started seeing Lay's as a brand that listened to them and valued their ideas, which created loyalty that lasted long after the contests ended.

Conclusion

Do Us a Flavor worked because it made regular chip eaters the heroes.

Instead of asking people what they thought about Lay's ideas, they flipped the script and asked: "What's YOUR idea?" That made customers feel valued and heard.

The campaign shows fruitful things can happen when brands include their customers in creating products. It wasn't just about selling more chips (though it did that).

It was about building a connection between Lay's and those who buy their snacks.

Many brands try similar contests these days, but Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" remains one of the best examples of turning customers into brand partners rather than just buyers.