PepsiCoâ€™s Layâ€™s looks to win the snacking game as in-home consumption grows

Being confined to home during the pandemic doesn’t mean it has to be a torturous, boring time. After over a year of staying at home, people have got used to working, learning, entertaining themselves and socialising from home. In a bid to win the top spot as the snacks companion to in-home experiences and occasions, Lay’s has launched its ‘@ Home’ packs and has rolled out a robust creative campaign, ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’.

Created by Wunderman Thompson, this film is one of two films for the ‘Lay’s @ Home’ packs, all of which distinctly showcase various in-home experiences. Featuring actor Ishaan Khatter, the film reflects in-home moments experienced by the entire nation in the current scenario. Through this film the brand seeks to speak to all of India and not only one segment of the audience.

The new ‘@ Home’ packs have been specially curated keeping in mind the uptick in in-home consumption as well as the wide array of moments one experiences at home. Right from ‘Work At Home’ and ‘Movie Watching At Home’ to ‘Adda At Home’ and ‘Weekend Outing At Home’, there is a Lay’s pack for every occasion – to be relished in the joyous company of friends and loved ones.

In conversation with Adgully, Shailja Joshi, Associate Director, Potato Chips Category, PepsiCo India, speaks about the thought behind the new ‘@ Home’ packs and the ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’, as well as how snacking has changed in times of pandemic when one’s home has turned into one’s centre of the universe.

Your new ‘@ HOME’ packs for Lay’s look interesting. How has the response been for the same and what was your objective for the film?

Lay’s has always aimed at infusing a sense of joy into consumers’ lives, not only through its delicious flavours, but also through its distinct, innovative offerings. The Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs, which are available in four flavours, have received an encouraging response from consumers across in India. The idea behind the pack nomenclatures is to dial up occasion association via the much-loved flavours of Lay’s. The film captures the irresistible demand for Lay’s flavours that is expanded into in-home experiences and occasions (for example, WAH! stands for Work At Home pack, MWAH! stands for Movie Watching At Home pack).

The launch of these new flavours is being supported by a robust creative campaign, ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’(Lay’s At Home, Always!). The objective behind the latest TVC under this campaign is to capture the diverse moments that people are experiencing at home and showcase how Lay’s makes these moments more joyous and delightful.

Consumers are looking for convenient snacking options – not only for self-consumption, but also for the many in-home experiences planned with friends and family. This has fueled the demand for large packs significantly, resulting in stocking up of one’s favourite snacks.

Keeping this in mind, Lay’s introduced special, large size packs to be the perfect companions for one’s ‘@ Home’ experiences. The new Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs are available at Rs 20, Rs 30, Rs 50 and Rs 85 across all leading retail and e-commerce platforms in India.

What’s the idea of the film and how did you go about positioning this tactical campaign? Was there any research conducted to cull out the insight?

In the ongoing scenario, as out-of-home moments shift to in-home experiences, Lay’s creatively showcases the downside of not having Lay’s at home. Both the Lay’s @ Home films show perils of missing out having Lay’s @ Home, which usually adds a fun and joy to all relatable moments – chilling with friends, working, movie watching, and so on.

The idea stemmed from the fact that people continue to remain indoors and they have made their homes the perfect spaces for work, entertainment and fun with friends. In line with this insight and the growing culture of in-home consumption, Lay’s introduced special ‘@ Home’ packs to be the perfect companions for its fans’ in-home experiences.

Could you tell us about roping in young actor Ishan Khattar to endorse the product?

Ishaan Khattar is one of India’s most youthful and promising actors. His fun, young and friendly personality is in sync with the Lay’s language and audience. Hence, he was suitable to bring alive the urgency of wanting Lay’s @ Home, as seen in the TVC.

Snacks are an impulsive purchase. What has been your pricing strategy to make it attractive for people?

As stated earlier, consumers across the country continue to remain largely indoors and make their homes the perfect spaces for work, entertainment, and fun times with friends & loved ones. In line with this, we see a robust demand for in-home consumption.

What is the media strategy for this campaign?

Currently, the films under the ‘Ghar Par Lay’s Always!’ campaign are being aired selectively on television as well as the brand’s own YouTube and Instagram platforms. The second leg of the campaign will see more platforms and channels being roped in for incremental reach and engagement.

(Edited by Shanta Saikia.)