The Marketing Mix of Lays tells the 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) of the American famous chips brand – Lays!
Lays, a brand known for its snack food products, is comprised of potato tidbits. In 2022, Lays held a significant share of 50% of the overall Indian market, while in the US, it was 41% of the potato chips market.
The fast food industry has been growing at a rate of 5% each year for the past few years, and the popularity of packaged food is increasing due to the changing lifestyle, especially in Indian metros. After launching Lays in 1932, PepsiCo acquired it. Lays products have a variety of flavors to cater to different demands and expectations.
Lays is a well-known brand in the snack food industry that was established in 1932 by American entrepreneur Herman Lay.
The ownership of the company has changed hands several times over the years, including a merger with Frito Company between 1961-1965 to become Frito-Lay. In 1965, Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi-Cola Company to become PepsiCo, Inc.
Let’s start with Lays Marketing Mix to learn more about their product, price, promotion, and distribution approaches.
Product in the Marketing Mix Of Lays
Lays, a popular snack and chips brand under PepsiCo, has a strong presence worldwide, offering a range of potato chip flavors that cater to specific countries’ demands.
Lays’ strategy is to introduce new variants regularly to attract customers on a habitual basis. One of the key features of Lays chips is that they are trans-fat-free and marketed as a healthy snack option.
In European countries, where people rely heavily on packed food, Lays chips have become a popular choice. The packaging and design of the product also play an important role in the company’s success.
Lays offers a wide range of flavors that vary depending on the region’s popularity, increasing the customer base.
Here are the popular flavors of Lays potato chips:
- American Style Cream & Onion
- West Indies Hot ‘n’ Sweet Chili
- Spanish Tomato Tango
- Thai Sweet Chili
- Sizzling Barbeque Potato Chips
- Baked Cream, Herb & Onion
- Crispy Herb & Onion
- Twistz Herb & Onion
Also, Lays potato chips are sold under different names in various countries, such as Walkers in the UK, Smith’s in Australia, and Hostess in Canada.
In India, Lays has introduced several flavors that cater to the Indian taste palate, including local masala flavors. The brand’s packaging includes air-filled packets that help to maintain the crispiness of the chips for longer periods.
Here are some popular Lays flavors in India
- Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips
- Chile Limon Flavored Potato Chips
- Deli-style Original Potato Chips
- Classic Potato chips
- Cheddar & Sour Cream Flavored Potato Chips
- Wavy milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
- Wavy Ranch Flavored Potato Chips
- Wavy Cheddar Flavored Potato Chips
- STAX Xtra Flamin’Hot Flavored Potato Chips
- Dill Pickle Flavored Potato Chips
- Flamin’Hot Flavored Potato Chips
- Honey Barbecue Flavoured Potato Chips
- Lightly Salted Potato Chips
- Limon Flavored Potato Chips
- Pico de Gallo Flavoured Potato Chips
- Salt and Vinegar Flavored Potato Chips
- Kettle Cooked jalapeno Flavored Potato Chips.
Overall, Lays’ product strategy focuses on offering a range of flavors that cater to different countries’ tastes, while also ensuring that the products are marketed as healthy snack options.
The brand’s success is also attributed to its packaging and design, which plays a significant role in attracting and retaining customers.
Price in the Marketing Mix Of Lays
Lays, a world-renowned snack brand, has established itself as a leader in the snack food industry through its effective pricing strategies. The company has adopted various pricing plans to cater to its price-conscious customers.
One such strategy is the use of value-based pricing, which reflects the brand’s unique features like easy affordability, great taste, and high quality.
To maintain customer loyalty, Lays remains wary of its competitors and uses a competitive pricing plan to keep its product prices at par with rival companies.
At regular intervals, Lays also utilizes promotional pricing plans to increase its short-term sales volume. The company offers several incentives, including bulk deals, discounts, and price packs, to maximize sales in minimum time and generate additional profits.
Lays has positioned itself as a tasty and affordable snack, offering its chips at competitive rates across the globe. The brand’s low prices are maintained by managing manufacturing locations, supply chain management, distribution, and variable costs.
Different sizes and packages with varying prices are available for customers, providing them with various options to choose from.
In India, where the snack food market is highly competitive, Lays has kept its prices low to compete with other established brands like Kurkure, Bingo, and Haldiram.
The brand has maintained its pricing strategy by not changing its prices with the change in raw material costs, but by changing the quantity as the package contains 70% air. Availability of products, bulk ordering, and effective marketing contribute to Lays’ pricing strategy.
Overall, Lays’ effective pricing strategies have helped the brand to maintain its market position and meet the demands of its price-conscious customers worldwide.
Place in the Marketing Mix Of Lays
Lays, the famous snack brand, owes its success to its distribution network. With operations across the globe, Lays has expanded to reach consumers in many countries, from Australia and Argentina to Egypt and India.
Lays owes its success to the supply chain, distributor, and retailer networks that have enabled the brand to be available worldwide.
A factor in the brand’s success is its appeal. Lays chips are not targeted to a specific population or region but are designed to appeal to snack lovers globally.
To meet the high demand, Lays maintains quality control, using only high-quality potatoes to produce its chips. Production plants are located in different countries to ensure a steady supply of chips worldwide.
Lays owes much of its success to its parent company, PepsiCo, which provides the brand with access to its supply chain and advertising strategies. The Lays brand can be found in several countries, including the USA, UK, Canada, India, Russia, China, France, and Germany.
Lays is an example of a global brand that has established a distribution network and supply chain to meet the high demand for its products worldwide.
With an excellent reputation and broad appeal, the brand has stayed ahead of the competition, meeting the needs of snack lovers worldwide.
Promotions in the Marketing Mix Of Lays
Lays, being a part of PepsiCo, has been able to develop an extensive marketing strategy that includes a mix of traditional and digital media.
The company has used celebrity endorsements as an important strategy to promote its brand and has partnered with different brand ambassadors for different marketing campaigns.
These campaigns have been advertised on popular TV channels, radio, magazines, newspapers, and other print media channels.
The company has also adopted a strong digital marketing strategy, using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, along with blogs to promote its products.
In addition, Lays has sponsored different global events like football, cricket, and the Olympics to connect with customers worldwide.
Since the company’s inception, advertising has been a crucial aspect of its marketing mix. In fact, in 1944, Lays became the first manufacturer of snack food items to air television commercials and appointed Bert Lahr as its celebrity spokesman.
Over time, the company has utilized every possible advertising tool to create brand visibility, including humorous and attractive ads with catchy taglines.
Lays’ advertisements are shown on popular television channels, radio, magazines, newspapers, and hoardings at popular places, as well as on the sides of several vehicles like buses, trams, and auto-rickshaws.
Lays has also recognized the importance of celebrity endorsements and has roped in several famous personalities like Ranbir Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in India, and Ali Zafar in Pakistan to act in its ad campaigns.
Lays’ popular taglines like “betcha can’t eat just one” and “be a little dialogical” have become synonymous with the brand. Overall, Lays has managed to develop an effective marketing mix that includes a mix of traditional and digital media, celebrity endorsements, and effective taglines to connect with customers worldwide.
I hope you have gathered all the crucial information about the Marketing Mix of Lays and the 4 P’s of Lays. Stay tuned for more Marketing Mix Articles.