Some brands have grown exponentially since their inception. Lays is one of them. How did they manage it? What did they do to increase their customer base? What did they do to keep their consumers coming back? We think Lays’s Marketing Strategy played a significant part in all this, especially its digital marketing strategy. This article analyses a few digital marketing strategies used by the company to give you an insight into what they have been doing.
About Lays
Lay’s is a brand of potato chips with different flavors, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States.
The chips were sold for the first time in the 1930s by Herman W. Lays. W.Lays and Fritos were a competitor before but eventually, they became partners in 1961 and formed the brand Frito-Lay, which has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of PepsiCo since 1965.
Frito-Lay primarily uses the brand name “Lay’s” in the United States, and uses other brand names in certain other countries: Walkers in the UK and Ireland; Smith’s in Australia; Chipsy in Egypt and the West Balkans; Tapuchips in Israel; Margarita in Colombia; and Sabritas in Mexico.
Lay’s was launched in India in 1965 and has a large network with huge popularity.
Now that we are discussing Lays, let’s look at their marketing strategy too.
What’s new with Lays?
Here’s what was buzzing around Lays recently:
- Lay’s launches Friendship Day campaign with Ranbir Kapoor, categorizes friends as per flavor of potato chips
- Creative designer Demna also shared the unexpected collaboration on Instagram, captioning it “The Lay’s x Balenciaga leather chip bag.”
- Delhi High Court turns down PepsiCo’s appeal against revocation of potato patent
- PepsiCo Sues Gujarat Farmers For Growing Potato Variety Used In Lays; Court Passes Injunction
- PepsiCo to produce its Lay’s potato chips in Bangladesh
- Are potato chip bags recyclable? Snack companies try new packaging.
Let’s now understand the target audience of Lays better with the help of a buyer persona.
Buyer Persona of Lays
A buyer persona generally refers to the detailed information of an ideal customer of a company. When it comes to Lays, people from India use it the most. This buyer persona will help you understand the attributes of regular a Lays user.
Buyer’s Persona
Name:
Rahul
Place:
India
Age:
25 years
Profession:
Accountant
Motivation
- Ease of shopping.
- Ordering in a few clicks.
- Huge variety to choose from.
- Quality Products.
Interest & Hobbies
- Trips
- Love to hangout
- Love Bollywood movies
- Surfing Quora
- Shopping
- Enjoy cricket
Pain Points
- Poor UI/UX of the website.
- Stock Availability
Social Media Presence
- Tinder
- Youtube
- Quora
From the table above we can conclude that the buyer is motivated by the ease of shopping, ordering with just a few clicks, having a diverse range of choices, and receiving quality products..
Want to know about the current challenges of Lays? Read a detailed SWOT Analysis of the brand before moving on with marketing strategies.
Lays Marketing Strategies
1. Search Engine Optimisation
Lays has put a lot of effort into SEO.
As per Ubersuggest data, it ranks in India for 34,614 keywords as of September 2023. Its organic traffic is 1,816,721 sessions per month. The stats are higher compared to their SEO performance in April 2023.
Here are some of their Search Engine Optimisation techniques:
Backlinks
Lays gets backlinks from 12,486,689 unique domains. All this increases the Domain Authority of Lays’s domain and helps it rank higher.
2. Social Media Marketing
Lays is active on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. As of August 2023, it has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, 66.4 million followers on Facebook and 50.9K followers on Twitter.
Let’s analyze how their posts are:
3. Paid Advertising
- Television Commercials:
Lays became one of the companies that realized the importance of marketing. In the year 1944, it purchased TV advertisements delegated Bert Lahr as its VIP representative, and turned into the main producer of nibble food things to do as such. Right now, it has used each conceivable promoting apparatus to make brand permeability.
Its promotions are clever and alluring with infectious slogans. Promotions are displayed in well-known TV slots, radio, magazines, papers, hoardings at mainstream places, and on sides of a few vehicles like transport, cable car, and auto-carts. Their TV commercials are known for their creativity, humor, and the irresistible visuals of crispy chips. These ads often depict people enjoying Lays in fun and social settings, making the brand synonymous with good times. The “Betcha can’t eat just one” slogan is an iconic example of their TV advertising campaign.
4. Event Marketing
For the 2023 State Fair of Texas, Lays is planning a number of exciting marketing initiatives.
-
Lays Flavor Lab: Lays will be opening a pop-up Flavor Lab at the fair where visitors can create their own custom flavors of potato chips. Visitors will be able to choose from a variety of ingredients to create their own unique flavor combinations.
-
Lays State Fair of Texas Sweepstakes: Lays will be hosting a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will receive a year’s supply of Lays potato chips, as well as a trip to the 2023 State Fair of Texas.
-
Lays State Fair of Texas Limited-Edition Flavor: Lays will be releasing a limited-edition flavor of potato chips that is inspired by a popular Texas food. The flavor will be announced closer to the start of the fair.
In addition to these marketing initiatives, Lays will also be sponsoring a number of events at the State Fair of Texas, such as the Big Tex Choice Awards and the Red River Showdown.
Lays is committed to providing a fun and engaging experience for visitors to the State Fair of Texas. The company’s marketing initiatives are designed to create excitement and buzz around the brand, and to encourage visitors to try its products.
Marketing mix
The 4Ps – Product, Price, Place, and Promotion, are what make up the marketing mix. It is an integral tool used to know a company’s marketing approach. This model aids us in gaining a broad knowledge of the company and the tactics it employs to advertise and sell its products to the general audience.
Product
Lay’s offers a wide range of potato chip products, including:
- Classic flavors such as Original, Salted, and Sour Cream & Onion
- Regional flavors such as French Onion Dip and Pickle
- Limited-edition flavors such as Cheddar Jalapeño and Kettle Cooked
- Lay’s Stax: A stackable potato chip that is available in a variety of flavors
- Lay’s Pop Chips: A popped potato chip that is available in a variety of flavors
Lay’s keeps investing in research and development, hence, strives to bring different products to their customers.
Price
Lay’s pricing strategies include a combination of competitive and low-cost pricing. Lay’s began with the vision to provide high-quality potato chips at affordable prices. The pricing of different products is taken into account by different factors such as the price of raw materials, labor costs, transportation costs, and storage costs.
Lay’s pursues a low-cost strategy for classic flavors such as Original, Salted, and Sour Cream & Onion, where they offer these products at a lower price than their competitors. For regional flavors such as French Onion Dip and Pickle, and limited-edition flavors such as Cheddar Jalapeño and Kettle Cooked, the company adheres to a competitive pricing strategy, where the price of these products is similar to their competitors.
However, Lay’s also offers value packs and discounts to make its products more affordable for consumers. For example, Lay’s often offers multi-pack discounts on its classic flavors. Lay’s also runs promotions such as “buy one, get one free” on its limited-edition flavors.
Lay’s pricing strategies are designed to make its products accessible to a wide range of consumers. By offering a variety of pricing options, Lay’s is able to appeal to both budget-conscious consumers and those who are willing to pay a premium for unique or limited-edition flavors.
Place
Lay’s place strategy focuses on making its products available to consumers in a variety of convenient locations. Lay’s products are available in a variety of retail outlets, including:
- Grocery stores
- Supermarkets
- Convenience stores
- Online retailers
- Vending machines
Lay’s also partners with foodservice establishments such as restaurants and fast food chains. This allows consumers to enjoy Lay’s products as part of a meal or snack on the go.
Lay’s place strategy is designed to make its products accessible to a wide range of consumers. By offering its products in a variety of retail outlets and foodservice establishments, Lay’s is able to reach consumers wherever they are.
In addition to the above, Lay’s also has a strong distribution network that allows it to deliver its products to every corner of the country. Lay’s works with a variety of distribution partners, including carrying and forwarding agents, distributors, dealers, and retailers. This ensures that Lay’s products are always available, even in rural areas.
Lay’s place strategy is a key factor in its success. By making its products available to consumers in a variety of convenient locations, Lay’s is able to reach a wide range of consumers and drive sales growth.
Promotion
Lay’s uses a variety of promotional channels to reach its target customers, including:
- Television and radio commercials
- Print and digital advertising
- Social media marketing
- Point-of-sale promotions
- Public relations and media outreach
Lay’s is also known for its iconic advertising campaigns, which often feature the “betcha can’t eat just one” tagline. Lay’s also partners with celebrities and influencers to promote its products.
- Celebrity endorsements: In 2019, Lay’s launched a campaign called “Smile Deke Dekho” with popular Indian bollywod actor Ranbir Kapoor with Alia Bhatt The campaign encouraged people to share their smiles on social media using the hashtag #SmileDekeDekho. The campaign was a huge success, with millions of people participating and sharing their smiles.
- Social media: Lay’s is very active on social media, and it uses the platform to connect with consumers, share funny and engaging content, and run contests and giveaways. For example, in 2022, Lay’s ran a contest on Twitter where users could win a year’s supply of Lay’s chips by sharing their favorite Lay’s flavor. The contest was a huge success, with thousands of people participating.
- Traditional advertising: Lay’s also invests heavily in traditional advertising, including TV commercials, print ads, and radio spots. These ads are designed to reach a wide audience and create awareness of the brand. For example, Lay’s has run several TV commercials that feature popular celebrities, such as Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. These commercials have been very effective in raising awareness of the brand and driving sales.
- Events sponsorship: Lay’s is a sponsor of many major sporting events, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Cricket World Cup. This sponsorship helps to position Lay’s as a brand that is associated with excitement and fun. For example, in 2023, Lay’s was the official snack partner of the IPL. This sponsorship helped to increase brand awareness and drive sales during the tournament.
Overall marketing mix
Lay’s marketing mix is designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers. Lay’s offers a wide range of products at affordable prices, and it is available in a variety of retail outlets. Lay’s also uses a variety of promotional channels to reach its target customers and promote its products in a way that is engaging and memorable.
Top Competitors of Lays
Here’s the list of top competitors of Lays:
- Doritos
- Pringles
- Cheetos
- Ruffles
- Sun Chips
Conclusion
Lays is a well-versed snack brand that has been established.it is one of its kind in popularity of snack brand. The band has done its strategies well to stand its position on the continent. the product strategy has paid off with effort in marketing the goods and now the brand has tough competition with wide recognition among the globe. Hopefully, you have learned something new and unknown information about dove’s Marketing mix.
If you have any queries or concerns, let us know in the comments and feel free to share if you enjoyed this case study on the Marketing Mix of Lays. Sign up for our free masterclass conducted by Mr Karan Shah, the founder and CEO of IIDE, and learn the fundamentals of digital marketing from the expert before making your decision to learn more about marketing and its strategies.
ThankYou!
contents are very helpful, thank youuu!