”BETCHA, CAN’T EAT JUST ONE” – LAY’S

By Jayashri E.J
LAY’S: this word brings back a lot of memories, fun and of-course the mouth-watering taste.
Every individual is unique and so are the flavors of Lay’s. This definitely would bring a big smile on our face. There are several interesting facts about Lay’s. Lay’s always launched indigenous flavored chips for example; magic masala was a flavor unique to India which was used for launching lay’s in India. Another unique flavor introduced by Lay’s in Spain is Shrimp and Garlic. Lay’s chips were the first snack food to have launched TV ads. They were the pioneer of digital marketing for snack foods.
It all began with Herman W. Lay, the father of Lay’s, 88 years ago at Nashville Tennessee. From being a small local seller of potato chips, he grew by taking over an old factory and created the brand “LAY’S”. Later in 1965, Pepsico took over and popularized it around the world.
Lays set foot in India in 1995. At that time, Uncle Chips was popular PAN India and among all demographics. So, Lay’s had to fight head-on with Uncle Chips and was not one to be intimidated. It introduced itself as a youth brand focusing mainly on children aged 13-25. Lay’s had a very strong word-of-mouth marketing.
In 1999, it came up with a unique idea of including a collectible play-toy “tazo” in each pack. Because of this, lays saw a 50% growth in sales making an incredible 20 million sale of tazos. This was just a starter for Lay’s. It was determined to expand its horizon through innovative campaigns and captivating promotions.

In 2003, Lays launched “no one can eat just one” ad starring Saif Ali Khan which was the biggest hit of all times in the Indian market. Following this was the “What’s the program?” ad which made lays “The snack for every show”.
In 2008, Lay’s created a feeling of belonging by launching the “Fight for your flavor” campaign where consumers vote for their favorite flavor.
In 2009, Lay’s took the hottest topic of all time – difference of opinion between brain and heart- and provided a solution through their chips flavor and campaign titled “Dillogical”.
In 2012, lay’s launched “do us a flavor” contest. Within a 12 week period, participants poured in their flavors. Out of all those, lays manufactured 3 flavors and introduced them in stores for voting. The winner of the contest bagging the 1st 1 million dollar was Karen Weber-Mendham from Land O’Lakes and the winning flavor was “lays cheesy garlic bread”
The similarity in all these campaigns is that whatever the campaign is, Lay’s always makes sure that essence of the campaigns is always their unique and dynamic flavours and the quality of the potatoes. They make sure they are etched in the customer minds using contemporary topics for their ads.
In late 2019, lay’s made a twist in their marketing campaign. Their ads did not feature their “proud” high quality potatoes and dynamic flavors but the instant bond created through smile and sharing. They even launched a campaign where people can print their face on the lay’s cover.
The Ad campaign “the real flavors of life” of lay’s urges the current generation to move away from the virtual world and start living in the real world.
On June 2, 2020, lay’s launched a digital campaign #heartwork to laud and acknowledge the backhand workers, the unsung heroes, fighting the pandemic. Extending the chain of gratitude, Lay’s also expressed its gratitude to 23 leading brands across various sectors through customized virtual packs with a thank you message.
Lay’s has always been and still continues to be the pioneer of snack marketing.