I’m honestly not sure what potato chips have to do with houses and kids with life threatening illnesses but nonetheless I was delighted to read about Lay’s recent Marketing for Good program in PromoXtra:
The flagship Frito-Lay brand cut a deal with Home Team, a syndicated TV program that shows new homeowners being given their first house. Lay’s will feature segments of the show on its new Web site, Lays.com, as part of its new “Share the Joy†marketing campaign.
The show, hosted by former Apprentice star Troy McClain, was recently renewed for its third season. In each episode, the team secretly renovates a house for a family with the help of friends, then surprises the family by giving them the house. Lay’s has been a sponsor of the reveal scene in each episode; now it will take clips from future and past episodes to put online.
Lay’s site serves as the hub for “Share the Joy†events, including a March 14 concert by country star Tim McGraw. That “Share the Joy Live†concert will air exclusively on the site, drawing attention to Lay’s tie-in to the Make a Wish Foundation.
Lay’s invites site visitors to submit their own story of a joyful moment. Each submission triggers a $1 donation from Lay’s to the Make a Wish Foundation. Consumers register to participate (with mailing address, e-mail address and date of birth), then submit a video, photo or essay. The program runs through May with Lay’s donating a minimum of $400,000 (and a maximum of $480,000) to the Make a Wish Foundation.
While the overall strategy may seem a little odd for a potato chip brand, the execution of the program is quite sweet complete with a graphic sunflower that adds a petal each time a web visitor makes a submission. The sunflower provides a not so subtle reminder that Lay’s uses 100% sunflower oil for its chips. Raising at least $400,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation is a good thing–I just hope they sell some chips along the way so other brands will not eschew this approach.