Lay's targets Indian Gen Z with three new flavours, seeks reach via IPL

In a move to generate category excitement and tap into experimental consumer preferences, Lay's India has unveiled a new line of globally inspired flavours as a limited-time offering.

The three-month campaign, titled 'Flavours of the World', introduces Korean Chilli, Mediterranean Pizza, and Mexican Salsa variants to the Indian snacking landscape, aiming to capitalise on emerging global food trends while reinforcing the brand's position as a category leader.

The new flavour portfolio represents a calculated expansion beyond Lay's established classics, such as Magic Masala, Classic Salted, and Spanish Tomatoes, which have traditionally dominated the brand's offerings.

According to Saumya Rathor, the marketing director at Lay's India, the introduction stems from consumer behaviour insights showing increased interest in experimental flavour experiences.

"As category leaders, we wanted to tap into the new flavour trend," explains Rathor. 

"One of them is, of course, the surge in interest in Korean culture. Then there's the Mediterranean Pizza flavour, which has become a favourite across various geographies and cultures, despite its Italian origins. Furthermore, Mexican Salsa is a rapidly expanding culinary trend."

The brand's market research involved tracking restaurant openings and rising cuisine trends to identify distinct flavour profiles that would appeal to the Indian palate whilst offering unique sensory experiences.

"We realised that these three buckets are actually unique from the flavour profile perspective. For us, it was a conscious decision to have these three profiles because they are three different flavour sets. Mexican Salsa is tangy, Mediterranean Pizza is dairy, Korean is chilli," Rathor elaborates.

Strategic IPL integration

The launch timing coincides with the Indian Premier League (IPL), leveraging the tournament's massive viewership and cultural significance. Despite the products' temporary nature, Lay's has deployed significant resources, including celebrity endorsements from brand ambassadors Ranbir Kapoor and MS Dhoni.

"If we've come up with something for Lay's, even if it is a limited-time offer, it has a massive halo impact on the Lay's brand in general," justifies rathor. "It is actually great that we've done this during the IPL because the nature of the tournament itself is very exclusive with a limited runtime."

The media strategy employs a multi-channel approach with television advertisements providing reach, supplemented by digital platforms for frequency and engagement.

"We have our tentpole campaign, which is live on TV right now with the TVC featuring Ranbir Kapoor. But also on digital, we're on JioHotstar. Incidentally, we went live on digital with the first match of IPL," says rathor.

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Influencer partnerships form another key touchpoint, with selection criteria focussed on authentic brand affinity. "For us, the biggest criteria is that we want to partner with people who genuinely love the brand. The authentic connection has to be there, we do not want it to seem like the connection is forced," explains rathor.

The campaign primarily targets Generation Z consumers, informing the heavy digital and influencer focus within the media mix.

Distinctive design architecture

The limited-edition range features a differentiated packaging design that maintains brand recognition while establishing a unique visual identity. Tanu Sinha, head of design for PepsiCo India & South Asia, shares that the packaging development process involved a delicate balance between creative freedom and brand responsibility.

"As brand custodians, we have the freedom to be as creative as we want with the packaging. But with great freedom also comes great responsibility. If your one step goes wrong, you run the risk of damaging the brand," notes Sinha.

The design architecture retains core Lay's visual equity elements such as the logo with radiating rings, which Sinha describes as representing "the magnetic enjoyment, while the logo itself represents the sun, with everything emerging out of it". However, distinctive differences were introduced to highlight the limited edition status.

"Because it is a limited-time offering, we wanted to give it a unique, distinctive experience," Sinha explains.

"Typically, in our core portfolio, there is a potato, and there is a chip coming out of it. Here we wanted to celebrate the ingredient and the flavour profile, so you see a bigger and more dynamic shot of the flavour."

Cultural cues informed the colour palette selection—a departure from the brand's typical approach of basing colours on the flavour itself.

"While typically our colour palette is determined by the flavour itself, here we took the liberty to tap into the culture. But one thing we do consider here is that, irrespective of the colour you use to represent the culture, it shouldn't be counter to the flavour," adds Sinha, noting that consumer associations between colours and taste profiles were carefully considered.

Potential for extended lifecycle

While positioned as a limited-time offering, Lay's remains open to extending production of particularly successful variants. This approach mirrors the brand's global strategy of using limited editions as a market testing mechanism.

"We've had this learning from across the globe so many times. Even in one of our biggest markets, which is Mexico, they keep trying out new flavours, and if the flavour is a hit, then they keep it," shares rathor.

"Fundamentally, at the end of the day, you want to serve the consumers. This has happened across various markets in multiple different flavours."

Some examples of such Lay's’ limited-edition flavours finding a place in the brand’s regular portfolio include Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy, introduced during the 'Do Us a Flavor' contest in the US. 

It gained immense popularity and became a staple offering. Similarly, Lay's Flamin' Hot flavour, initially launched as a limited edition, evolved into a global favourite and is now available in multiple countries, including India, as 'Lay's Sizzlin' Hot'.

The limited-time framework creates a sense of urgency and excitement around the product while allowing the brand to gauge consumer response without committing to permanent portfolio expansion.

"This is a limited-time offer because we want to create that buzz and want consumers to get excited about the potato chips category, and we want new buyers to come from various other snacks segments and try out new flavours," rathor explains.

Operational execution and distribution strategy

Bringing limited edition products to market presents significant operational challenges, requiring cross-functional collaboration across research and development, procurement, manufacturing and sales teams.

"It is surely very difficult to pull something like this off. But we have amazing teams surrounding us, right from the R&D team who helps us curate these products in record time," acknowledges rathor.

The development process involved reverse planning, beginning with the limited-time offer concept and working backwards to establish distribution strategies and channel selection.

“The operational teams demonstrated considerable agility in adjusting production scheduling and sequencing to accommodate the new variants alongside the core portfolio,” Rathor says.

The new packs are available across all channels alongside other Lay's offerings, at the price points of Rs 10, Rs 20, and Rs 30.