Lay’s asks Facebook fans for a new chip flavor

That’s what the social media and marketing teams at Lay’s potato chips are banking on with the Do Us a Flavor campaign. From mid-July through early October, the brand is taking suggestions from Facebook users as to what the next new chip flavor will be, with a grand prize of a cool $1 million.

“Facebook just made perfect sense as the environment, as a place where consumers were engaging with brands, engaging with content,” says Jennifer Saenz, senior director of marketing for Lay’s.

Self-proclaimed flavor experts are certainly engaging. So far, nearly 600,000 people have used the Do Us a Flavor app on Facebook. The level of participation is exceeding the company’s expectations, Saenz says.

An import with a twist

This isn’t the first time a brand associated with Lay’s has asked fans to suggest flavor ideas. The first Do Us a Flavor contest took place a few years ago in the United Kingdom under the banner of Lay’s sister brand, Walker’s.