Start with 100% Canadian potatoes, add a 100% Canadian potato farmer, and what do you get? The ‘Simply Made. Simply Good.’ campaign for Lay’s chips. Sounds easy enough, but Frito Lay and BBDO Toronto dug deep to reach the heart of the Lay’s brand – the potato.
To tickle the viewer’s funny bone, ads depict a Lay’s potato farmer, Joe, conducting a call-in show. Local callers seek advice on car repair, gardening and gifting as Joe brims with pride. He merrily ignores their queries, choosing to boast about Lay’s Canadian potato content instead.
Localized radio – not emphasized in previous Lay’s campaigns – was used to cultivate a community connection and augment the messages in TV spots, online and in-store promotions.
Creative insight was gained from speaking directly with consumers, explains Tony Matta, VP marketing at Frito Lay Canada. ‘The potatoes that we use are grown in communities that you live in,’ says Matta, describing how Lay’s strives to appeal to smaller cities and towns.
Connecting locally with a national campaign is a formidable goal, but as Matta explains, ‘By talking about 100% Canadian potatoes in a unique, fun and charming way, we are able to talk in a very local language. We wanted to get back to what the product was all about. It’s about the potato.’
The campaign began with three TV spots aired during the Super Bowl, and continues until late April. Media buys were completed by OMD Canada.
The creds:
advertiser: Tony Matta, VP marketing,
Frito Lay Canada
agency: BBDO Toronto
ECD: Ian Mackellar
CDs: Peter Ignazi, Carlos Moreno
AD: Carlos Moreno
copywriter: Peter Ignazi
agency producer: Megan Flett
prodco: Sons and Daughters, Toronto
director: David Hicks
executive producers: Dan Ford, Liane Thomas
DPs: J. Cliff, Chris Mably
editor: Gord Koch
colourist: Notch
online editor: Steve Coulter, The Juggernaut
audio: Ricochet
audio producer/sound engineer: Sonny Keyes
account management: Cheryl Gosling, Charmaine Ho
