- 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 can be found now via TikTok Shop, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for March.
- The collaboration looks to interact Gen Z on social platforms where the cohort discovers products, like Instagram and TikTok, to shut the gap between creator content, cultural moments and online checkout.
PepsiCo Foods’ Flavor Swap platform demonstrates how social-first campaigns are informing product innovation and represents the corporate’s first product drop on TikTok Shop, the e-commerce platform that has modified how brands engage with Gen Z consumers.
“Flavor Swap is a campaign filled with ‘firsts.’ The first time we’ve remixed these iconic flavors onto unexpected chips. The first time we teamed up with a few of today’s biggest tastemakers to assist us launch and put their very own spin on PepsiCo’s legendary brands. The first time we’ve executed a really social-first campaign to debut an iconic flavor drop,” said Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer at PepsiCo Foods U.S., in an announcement.
The latest products pair an influential figure or figures with a brand 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 latest marketing push comes as the corporate recently announced plans to lower the worth on a lot of its snacks, including Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos, by nearly 15%. The move is meant to assist reignite growth amongst consumers who’ve reduce on spending because of economic pressures.
Flavor Swap similarly looks to fulfill consumers where they’re 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 suggestion, per data shared by PepsiCo.
The flavor mashups are also informed by customer insights. Doritos Cool Ranch is the second hottest Doritos flavor; Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream is the highest 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 corporate has increasingly oriented its marketing around social-first efforts. PepsiCo’s U.S. beverages division last yr 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.
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