Mississauga, ON.-based Frito Lay Canada is once again asking consumers to brand a new flavour of tortilla chip, but don’t call this year’s ‘Viralocity’ program the second ‘Guru.’
‘It’s very easy to say ‘how do we do ‘Guru 2?” says Tony Matta, VP marketing for Frito Lay Canada. ‘The idea that came back had some similar components that are becoming part of the brand’s DNA, but it’s really a different approach.’
Working with AOR BBDO, Proximity and MAOR OMD Canada, the insight was around a ‘digital footprint’ – the idea that 13- to 24-year-olds’ societal interactions are mainly digital. To quantify that, an algorithm was developed to measure a person’s online activity – Facebook, YouTube, blogs, etc. – and track the number of views, shares, favourites and embeds.
The consumer enters the contest by creating a 60-second video and is awarded points based on how it spreads. The point system is transparently laid out on Doritosviralocity.ca, where participants can track their ranking.
‘There’s no one out there doing anything like this to this kind of scale that we know of,’ says Matta. ‘Ultimately, we want to help somebody become the most viral person in the world.’

The grand prize is $100,000, plus another $150,000 if the winner reaches ‘Maximum Viralocity’ (10 million points). Secondary prizes range from $25 to $15,000 (344 people in total will receive a cash prize) providing ongoing incentive, even if you’re not at the top, explains Matta.
Frito also set out to go beyond ‘Guru’ with the media plan, upping its relationship with MuchMusic by having Boomer from MuchOnDemand act as a ‘brand ambassador,’ with one-minute scripted pieces.
This year’s six TV spots give a behind-the-scenes look at entrants’ video processes, with one spot created by ‘Guru’ winner Ryan Coopersmith.
Advertising will appear online on Facebook, Break.ca, Maxim and Vervegirl -as well as in 21 different Xbox 360 games through a deal with ad network Massive. French comedy series Têtes à claques will create three English and three French spots for their website.
To unveil the winners, Frito has purchased all 12 minutes of commercial time during the Apr. 1 episode of MOD to create an Oscars-like award show.
And there will be a separate award show on MusiquePlus this year; the network will spread ‘Viralocity’ across four programs, building it into the scripts and having hosts appear on each other’s shows to talk about the campaign.
Rounding out the promotion is PR activity by Fleishman-Hillard and, at POS, a gold, unbranded bag with a diamond-studded dollar sign.
Submissions close on March 21, and the winner will be announced April 1.