Potato chips are perhaps not the first food that springs to mind when one thinks of wine pairings, but research by Miss Vickie’s marketing team found that’s what many of their customers were doing.

So as the brand celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with limited edition commemorative packaging, Miss Vickie’s campaign is centred on pairing the snacks with Australia’s Rosemount Estates wine.

“We found that over 60% of potato chip eaters were already pairing chips with wine,” says Miss Vickie’s brand manager Meghan Merkler. “It was this great consumer insight and it felt like a natural fit for us.”

The campaign features prominently in supermarket displays through June and July, along with POS materials that direct consumers to a Facebook page detailing the suggested wine-and-chip pairings. For example, Miss Vickie’s says the “earthiness and subtle strawberry” of Rosemount’s Pinot Noir are amplified by the “soft spice” of its sweet chili and sour cream chips. The campaign also involves a contest whose prizes include trips to Australia.

There are also activations in liquor retailers across Canada. Samplings will occur at LCBOs across Ontario in July and starting in September there will be a Miss Vickies coupon attached to bottles at liquor outlets across the country.

The campaign targets those 35 to 55 years of age who have a “sophisticated” palette, Merkler says. Capital C worked on digital strategy behind the campaign that also includes advertisements in selected food-focused regional publications.

Merkler says the brand’s Facebook page has grown to 40,000 fans but it is otherwise too early to judge the effectiveness of the campaign.

In the latter part of the year the campaign will shift to regional food and wine exhibitions, including a stop at the Toronto Gourmet Food and Wine show.