Fritos goes digital-only in 1st creative campaign since 1971

Brief:

Fritos corn chips unveiled digital-only ads that mark the first creative campaign for the PepsiCo-owned snack since 1971, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The brand's "Here's to the Moment" ads, created by R/GA of Austin, highlight how the chips accompany memorable events like hosting a party to watch football.
Frito-Lay is running ads on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Along with two 15-second spots, the Fritos campaign includes a split-screen ad that debuts on Pinterest on Nov. 4, according to PepsiCo. Frito-Lay and Hormel Foods also will run a co-branded campaign that features in-store displays and co-branded recipes for Fritos and Hormel Chili, Ad Age reported.
Frito-Lay's vice president of marketing, Sadira Furlow, brought a personal touch to the campaign's theme of sharing memorable moments. When her dad was a cash-strapped student, he didn't want to arrive empty-handed for a first date with the woman who would become his wife, and brought her a bag of Fritos.

Insight:

Fritos' first ad campaign in almost 50 years is focused on social media to reach tech-savvy younger audiences who are most likely to interact with others on mobile devices. Sharing social occasions is a key theme of the campaign, which is timed to coincide with the NFL and college football seasons. Google searches for "Frito Pie" recipes peak in November while the fall and winter are key sales periods for the snack, according to a PepsiCo spokesperson.

Creating content specifically for individual social media platforms is a best practice in digital marketing, a tactic Fritos is embracing with its split-screen ad for Pinterest. The bottom half of the ad shows a hand holding an open bag of Fritos while a hand in the top screen sprinkles cheese that drops across the screen split to land on top of the chips.

While the "Here's to the Moment" campaign is Fritos' first advertising push since 1971, the brand hasn't been entirely invisible. Fritos in May partnered with the Carry The Load initiative to honor the sacrifices made by U.S. military veterans. Fritos produced about 22 million special bags with special markings. The number signified how many people have served in the military since records began, including active-duty service members. The company donated $100,000 to Carry The Load to support its efforts to help soldiers.

Frito-Lay parent PepsiCo has embraced mobile platforms in its marketing, including its introduction this month of its first cashback loyalty program. PepCoin lets mobile customers scan codes under bottle caps and on snack bags with their smartphone cameras to earn back as much as 10% of the purchase prices. Frito-Lay's Doritos flavored tortilla chips recently ran a campaign aimed at ad-adverse Generation Z that removed all logos and mentions of the brand from its social media, and from TV and digital ads. In addition, Lay's potato chips unveiled a Twitter poll that asked users to vote on whether a potato named Spud would be made into a potato chip, continuing its effort to offer consumers humorous creative.

Frito-Lay North America's o.erating profit grew 4.1% to about $1.25 billion in Q2 2019 from a year earlier as net revenue expanded 4.5% to more than $4 billion, PepsiCo reported.