Table of Contents 6 2012 OVATION Awards Winning Entries

OVATION Awards Winning Entry
Communication Management
Brand Communication
AWARD OF MERIT
Entrant’s Name: Megan Johnson
Organization’s Name: Fleishman‐Hillard Canada
Division/Category: Division 1: Communication Management Category 10: Brand Communication
Title of Entry: Lay’s Farmers Campaign
Time Period of Project: January‐December 2011
Brief Description: Fleishman‐Hillard Canada (FH) executed an inaugural strategic and comprehensive public and
media relations program to support the second year evolution of the Lay’s Farmers campaign. The purpose of the
campaign was to continue to raise awareness and educate Canadians about the local roots of Lay’s potato chips
and the Canadian farmers responsible for growing them through on‐message, branded media coverage.
Business Need/Opportunity
In 2010, PepsiCo Foods Canada, through its Lay’s brand, conducted research demonstrating that potato
chips are a staple in 77 per cent of Canadian households and, although the brand continued to have a
strong hold on the category (60.7 per cent household penetration), Lay’s had seen a steady decline in
overall brand loyalty in recent years. This decline was attributed to increased competitor activity and
also to the finding that consumers’ purchasing decisions are more strongly influenced by the „junk food’
association and health merits of the product, as opposed to having any emotional connection with the
Lay’s brand itself.
In response to these key insights, the Lay’s brand quickly shifted its focus to increase brand loyalty by
elevating the consumer perception of Lay’s away from being a junk food, giving consumers a relevant
and more meaningful reason to buy Lay’s potato chips. The brand launched a new creative idea in 2010
that enforced a 100 per cent homegrown and simple ingredients message and continued to support this
platform in 2011. The idea brought actual Lay’s Canadian potato farmers to life through the notion that
‘Behind every bag of Lay’s is a proud Canadian farmer’, communicating that ‘your favourite bag of Lay’s
chips are grown closer to home than you think’.
The Lay’s brand established a three year vision „to be LOVED in every Canadian community’ and
committed itself to reassuring consumers that Lay’s potato chips are made from homegrown potatoes,
farmed by Canadian potato farmers and ultimately made with only three simple ingredients (potatoes,
oil and salt).
In 2011, Lay’s planned to launch the second year evolution of the Lay’s Farmers campaign beyond
advertising and in‐store marketing activity and engaged FH, for the first time, to develop and execute a
strategic comprehensive public and media relations program. This program would tell the story to media
and consumers about the origin of Lay’ss potato chips ‘from farm to table’, and celebrate the Canadian
Lay’s potato farmers responsible for growing those potatoes.
In addition to the company’s research, Fleishman‐Hillard also conducted research as part of the public
relations program to support the brand’s findings and to investigate further whether or not this
campaign would resonate with consumers and garner editorial coverage with media. This research
included: