Dive Brief:
- PepsiCo Foods launched its first creator-led product line in collaboration with Madison Beer, iShowSpeed and Dude Perfect, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Each Flavor Swap product mashes up flavors and chips across the CPG giant’s portfolio and is paired with a creator. The items are available now via TikTok Shop, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for March.
- The collaboration looks to engage Gen Z on social platforms where the cohort discovers products, like Instagram and TikTok, to close the gap between creator content, cultural moments and online checkout.
Dive Insight:
PepsiCo Foods’ Flavor Swap platform demonstrates how social-first campaigns are informing product innovation and represents the company’s first product drop on TikTok Shop, the e-commerce platform that has changed how brands engage with Gen Z consumers.
“Flavor Swap is a campaign full of 'firsts.' The first time we’ve remixed these iconic flavors onto unexpected chips. The first time we teamed up with some of today's biggest tastemakers to help us launch and put their own spin on PepsiCo’s legendary brands. The first time we’ve executed a truly social-first campaign to debut an iconic flavor drop,” said Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer at PepsiCo Foods U.S., in a statement.
The new products pair an influential figure or figures with a new flavor combination: singer-songwriter Madison Beer with Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue on Cheetos Crunchy; streamer iShowSpeed with Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream on Doritos; and sports-comedy group Dude Perfect with Doritos Cool Ranch on Ruffles.
The new marketing push comes as the company recently announced plans to lower the price on many of its snacks, including Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, by nearly 15%. The move is intended to help reignite growth among consumers who have cut back on spending due to economic pressures.
Flavor Swap similarly looks to meet consumers where they are by tapping into how Gen Z discovers and shops with a platform that connects creators, cultural moments and checkout. More than two thirds, 68%, of Gen Z have already purchased directly from social platforms, while nearly three quarters, 74%, of U.S. consumers have purchased a product based on an influencer’s recommendation, per data shared by PepsiCo.
The flavor mashups are also informed by customer insights. Doritos Cool Ranch is the second most popular Doritos flavor; Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream is the top Ruffles flavor; and Lay’s Sweet Southern Heat Barbeque taps into the “swicy” flavor trend.
While Flavor Swaps represents the first time that PepsiCo has debuted a flavor via a social-first campaign, the company has increasingly oriented its marketing around social-first efforts. PepsiCo’s U.S. beverages division last year deepened its ties to VaynerMedia by integrating the social-first agency closer to its own teams. In addition, PepsiCo’s Poppi this month utilized a social-first approach to its Super Bowl ad.
