Summers, whether they’re too short or uneventful, can occasionally disappoint, and Que Pasa is leaning into that insight through campaigns and contesting.

The Nature’s Path-owned snack brand is offering consumers a hedge against seasonal blues via its cheeky “Summer Bummer Insurance.” The campaign is informed by the insight that about three quarters of Canadians feel that summer activities often fall short of their expectations, whether it’s traffic bogging down cottage trips, sold out concert tickets or other laments. The brand’s new creative asks FOMO types to acknowledge that sometimes, “chip happens.”

“Summer is the most important season for chip sales,” says Sasha Bricel, director of marketing services at Nature’s Path. “While Que Pasa has strong market share, we’ve been dark for too long and we needed to find a way to connect this important time of year with our core consumer and the Que Pasa brand, while injecting a new sense of life into it.”

With Que Pasa’s mock “insurance,” participants can make a claim about their bummer summer at its brand microsite for a chance to win multiple cash prizes up to $5,000, running until Labour Day. Buyers simply need to share a moment or experience that didn’t go as planned and was worthy of a mulligan.

Que Pasa launched the campaign with OLV and key OOH placements in high-traffic areas in Vancouver and Toronto to “start building Que Pasa memory structures,” Bricel notes.

Participants were also offered up a chance to enter the contest in person at Que Pasa “claim” centres in two Toronto pop-up locations this August: the Harbourfront Centre and the mixed use downtown shopping complex The Well.

Bricel tells strategy the pop-up was a great success, and that it distributed more than 9,000 product samples and vouchers to passersby. Additionally, the onsite activities generated 1,611 contest entries and 683 QR code scans.

“With the proliferation of online content and digital isolation we feel that in-person events and experiential is an important part of bringing our brand promise to life,” Bricel says. “We were blown away with the engagement and enthusiasm we’ve seen from people.”

The results have been “outstanding,” Bricel explains, hitting submission KPIs and selling out of Que Pasa chips in all its retailer locations around its activations.

Bricel says the campaign target audience is Millennials and Gen Zs who crave great taste without having to compromise on health or sustainability.

With each “claim” submitted, Que Pasa will also donate $10 to its program partner, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), up to $50,000. The funds will support conservation efforts and raise awareness about the importance of protecting natural landscapes.

Que Pasa’s internal team handled creative. Citizen Relations is providing PR support.