Lay’s potato chips, one of the brands from PepsiCo‘s Frito-Lay division, announced the four finalist flavours in its “Do Us A Flavor” contest on July 17, competing for the USD1 million grand prize.
Lay’s Cappuccino, Lay’s Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese, Lay’s Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger and Lay’s Wavy Mango Salsa flavoured potato chips were selected as finalists from the more than 14 million entries submitted to the contest between January 13 and April 5, 2014. All four finalist flavours have been fully developed by Frito-Lay’s culinary experts and will make their debut on store shelves nationwide later this month.
Consumer votes will determine which flavour is selected as the winner, with the finalist behind the winning idea taking home a USD1 million grand prize.
From July 28 through October 18, 2014, consumers may vote once each day for their favourite finalist flavour, via Twitter, Instagram and/or Vine using the hashtags #SaveCappuccino, #SaveBaconMac, #SaveWasabi or #SaveMango; and/or via text message by texting “Cappuccino,” “Bacon Mac,” “Wasabi” or “Mango” to 24477 (CHIPS).
The winning flavour will be revealed this November and will remain on store shelves following the completion of the contest.
“For just the second time in history, we asked fans across the U.S. to tell us what flavours they thought would be ‘yummy as a chip,’ and the response blew us away,” said Ram Krishnan, senior vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America.
“The number and range of flavour ideas shared, the level of engagement our fans had with the program and the anticipation that has been mounting over the last several weeks as we prepared to name our finalists have demonstrated once again the incredible passion and excitement our fans have for great potato chip flavours. We can’t wait to see which flavour America selects as its favourite.”
The contest finalists are Chad Scott from Las Vegas, Nev., who submitted Cappuccino; Matt Allen from Troy, Ohio, who submitted Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese; Meneko Spigner McBeth from Deptford, N.J., who submitted Wasabi Ginger; and Julia Stanley-Metz from Sacramento, Calif., who submitted Mango Salsa. This week, the four finalists joined the Lay’s brand in New York City – where they officially unveiled their flavours in a dramatic moment broadcast on gigantic screens high above Times Square. Following the reveal, all four finalists distributed the first free samples of their flavours from a 24-foot all-electric Frito-Lay delivery truck.
As the finalists now return to their hometowns, their local communities are gearing up for special events to celebrate each finalist’s success and kick-off the voting phase of the contest.
Contest requirements
To submit a flavour idea for the “Do Us A Flavor” contest, fans were asked to provide their name, flavour name, up to three possible ingredients, the chip style and a 140-character description or inspiration for their flavour.
PepsiCo has held the “Do Us A Flavor” contest in numerous countries with consumers suggesting more than 26 million ideas for chips flavours around the world. In July 2012, the Lay’s brand launched its first “Do Us A Flavor” contest in the U.S. and received nearly four million ideas from fans, from bacon to apple or cheese.
As part of this year’s contest, a judging panel made up of chefs, foodies and flavour experts narrowed down the contest submissions to four finalist flavours. The three runner-up finalists will each win USD50,000 in prize money, with the grand prize winner taking home USD1 million or one percent of their flavour’s net sales through July 1, 2015 (whichever is higher).
