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Lay?s unpacks new fan-favorite flavors with hourly text-to-win contest

Frito-Lay has its sights set on commanding as much of the mobile space as possible with the re-release of three fan-favorite flavors, enabling consumers to earn hourly rewards by texting a code found on packaging to a designated number.

The snack food giant?s new flavors, Smoked Gouda & Chive, Chicken & Waffles and Wavy Truffle Fries, are being reintroduced to the Lay?s lineup due to popular demand. The flavors will be re-released on October 3, and the rollout is being anchored on mobile through contests, social media outreach and an official reveal event hosted by actor Josh Peck.

?Social media is a great way for brands to magnify the awareness and create a viral buzz for a campaign,? said David Naumann, vice president of marketing at Boston Retail Partners.

?Beyond regular posts on social media, savvy brands are using interactive games, voting and contests to engage its passionate brand enthusiasts to ?share? and ?like,? which spurs further engagement among their network of friends.?

For the fans
Once the flavors are officially released to the public, fans will have an opportunity to earn rewards by participating in the Lay?s Flavor All Stars contest, which involves purchasing specially marked Lay?s products and entering their pack-on code into the contest by texting Flavor to 24477 (CHIPS). Prizes include cash and the chance to win Lay?s chips for one year.

Customers can follow along with the progress of the contest by tracking the hashtag #LaysFlavorAllStars, and can rate their favorite returning flavor on the campaign?s mobile-optimized Web site.

Lay?s also held a New York launch event on Wednesday inside an original bank vault that featured actor and comedian Josh Peck.

The PepsiCo division has shown dexterity in adapting to the demands of social media.

The user engagement involved in the brand?s Do Us a Flavor campaigns, where social media users suggest and push for the next original potato chip flavor that Lay?s will produce, has been an integral aspect of its marketing platform in recent years. Many of the most exotic flavors offered by Lay?s have been cooked up by consumers.

Enthusiast-driven marketing
Since the emergence of interactive platforms like social media, brands focusing on commanding the space should keep in mind that old rules do not apply.

Gone are the days of brand pontification through old media spheres such as television and print. Modern consumers, averse to advertising in the old model, demand that their interactions with marketing resemble? at least structurally? a conversation.

It is clear that Frito-Lay has seen some success with SMS-involved marketing interaction, as it has become its bread-and-butter as of late. Earlier this year, it partnered with Colgate to introduce an SMS-based receipt promotion that offered participants rewards from other brands such as magazine subscriptions and popular iPhone cases (see story).

Lindt Chocolate also took a page from the Frito-Lay playbook, holding a fall-themed contest promoting its new Pumpkin Spice truffle that includes a year?s supply of Lindor truffles (see story).

?Snack food companies like Lay?s continue to be challenged by regional, independent and private label brands that are constantly coming up with new flavors and clever marketing tactics that compete for market share,? Mr. Naumann said.

?With millions of loyal fans and nearly 7 million likes on its Facebook page, social media is a great way for Lay?s to stay top of mind and nurture more passionate followers.?