Walkers crisps are popular British brand that operates in a category where quality perceptions had been reframed by improvements in own label and premium brand launches. Not surprisingly, a core part of Walkers marketing strategy has been to launch new flavours' every year, but they have found this approach less and less effective over recent years.
Walkers recognized that everyone's got a point of view about what makes a good crisp flavour, so Walkers launched 'Do us a Flavour', a campaign run in 3 stages that started by asking the nation to send in their flavour selections. Then an 'expert' panel selected 6 finalists and Walkers would make those flavours'. Thirdly, these flavours' would be launched and the nation would choose a winner. There was a £50k prize incentive along with a stake in the business - 1% of all future sales of the winning flavour. The R&D department had just 4 weeks instead of 20 to create the flavours.
To bring stage 1 to life, the communications approach was to "Fuel Flavour debate". Walkers invited mums and young men to "Do us a Flavour" in an extensive TV campaign backed by a search campaign. Walkers also created a 'Flavour Army with a team dressed as different flavours taking our flavour message out to the masses at events.
The campaign is still running, but Walkers received 1,213,853 flavour entries - more than three times the original forecast. Brand equity measures rose on all accounts by an average 6%, and more importantly sales rose 14% Y.O.Y.