PepsiCo Foods Canada is hoping to duplicate the success it had last year collaborating with KFC.

After what it calls a “hugely successful” 2022 run, the company is promoting the return of Ruffles KFC Original Recipe Chicken flavoured potato chips at retail nationwide.

It is also releasing a set of audio tracks based on the sounds of chicken sizzling and chips crunching called, “11 Beats and Crunches,” a play on the 11 herbs and spices KFC is best known for. The sounds are available in TikTok’s music library, and the brand has enlisted several prominent content creators – such as rapper/producer Connor Price – to interact with the tracks and use them to create original songs.

“Driving excitement in-store for this flavour was important for us to reach our consumers, which is why we’re running a national POS program, featuring large format displays in grocery retail locations across Canada,” says Jess Spaulding, CMO of PepsiCo Foods Canada. “We have also created display tools for KFC locations where our LTO is also available.”

Spaulding tells strategy it designed the POS to bring attention to the return of the limited-time collaboration with copy featuring KFC’s recognizable “Finger Lickin’ Good” slogan and visual cues from both Ruffles and KFC to bring the two iconic brands together.

According to Spaulding, uniting two iconic brands through the “ultimate limited-time snack” previously created a very positive response.

“Going into this year’s campaign, we kept our consumer and their desire to continue experiencing these two brands in bold new ways top of mind,” Spaulding explains, hence dropping the tracks, with the hope that Canadians can experience the Ruffles KFC Original Recipe Chicken flavoured potato chips “with all five senses.”

Spaulding says that given the sensorial and hands-on nature of the campaign, PepsiCo is “stepping away from OOH” and advertising more on social, with paid media on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Tapping into the existing social behaviours of users on the platform, PepsiCo is also asking Canadians to lay down their own musical contributions by adding their unique remix, verse, or even dances.

Mark IV did all shopper assets. Motive was lead creative, Citizen for PR, Praxis for social media, OMD for media.