BRAND EXPERIENCE 409possibilities for social interaction is crucial. Research has shown that more intrinsically moti-
vated consumers value the interaction with like-minded consumers and it increases their
co-creation experience. Th is co-creation experience in turn has a positive eff ect on the quality
and number of submitted ideas, and increases consumers’ participation frequency and con-
sumers’ interest in future participation.^122 Secondly, an incentive should be off ered to avoid
being accused of taking advantage of consumers. Research shows that the higher the reward,
the higher the number of ideas that are submitted.^123 However, the incentive should not be
too attractive because it could stimulate consumers to adopt a minimax strategy (i.e. do the
least possible for the most possible reward), and crowd out consumers’ intrinsic motivation.^124Although Lay’s was market leader in the salted snacks category in Belgium, its market share was under pressure
because of the rise of private labels. To stop its loss in market volume and value, Lay’s decided to activate its brand by
focusing on its core value: taste. Lay’s also aimed to involve its (potential) customers to the maximum. Building
on the increasing popularity of cooking and experimenting with flavours, Lay’s came up with a ‘create your own
flavour’ campaign. The purpose was to launch a limited edition of the flavour created by one of the consumers.
In a first stage, consumers were encouraged to submit their own flavour. The incentive was €25,000 in cash
and 1% of the turnover of the limited edition sales. TV commercials made sure the general public were aware of
the campaign. Packaging and in-store communications pushed sales, Facebook increased brand conversations
(with messages like ‘I’m actually more looking forward to the launch of the new Lay’s flavour than to the launch of
the new iPhone’), and a good PR plan made sure the campaign was covered in the general press. Almost 246 000
flavours were submitted. A jury consisting of two chefs and one consumer selected two flavours that were devel-
oped and launched: Lay’s Bicky Crisp and Lay’s Indian Curry Style. An ad thanked all consumers for submitting their
taste and announced the two selected flavours that were from then onwards for sale. Next, it was up to the con-
sumers again to select their favourite. Over eight weeks there was a big contest between both flavours with Bicky
Crisp coming out as the winner. Again Facebook, point-of-sales, packaging and advertising played important roles.
The campaign was a big success: (1) 134 581 people voted on the website for their favourite flavour; (2) 1.2 million
people visited the Facebook page; (3) Lay’s saw an increase of more than 10% on image parameters like
‘great taste’, ‘high quality’, ‘contemporary’ and ‘for someone like me’; (4) Lay’s Brand Engagement Index increased
significantly; (5) more than 1.56 million Lay’s Limited Edition Bicky Crisp and Indian Curry Style were sold; and
(6) Lay’s market share increased, whereas that of private labels decreased. The campaign won a Gold Activation
Award. A similar campaign ran in several other European countries, with great results there as well. For example, in
the Netherlands 678 682 flavours were submitted, 6 million Lay’s Limited Edition ‘PatatjeJoppie’ were sold and
216 739 people voted for their favourite flavour.^125BUSINESS INSIGHT
Create your own flavourBrand experience research
Brand experience communications can be pre-tested and post-tested. Many of the objectives
of experiential marketing are the same as for a traditional advertising campaign (i.e. attract-
ing attention, brand comprehension, brand image). Th erefore, very similar methods as for
advertising research can be used, such as recall tests and direct opinion tests. As for the sales
response, the methods discussed for sales promotions research can be used. Th e latter are also
valuable to get an idea of the evolution in loyal customers. Th e extent to which the campaign
induced sensory and feelings responses can be probed with physiological tests and feeling-
oriented direct opinion tests. Finally, the extent to which the campaign also elicited word-of-mouth
and word-of-mouse should be assessed. Such methods will be tackled later (see Chapter 15 ).M12_PELS3221_05_SE_C12.indd 409M12_PELS3221_05_SE_C12.indd 409 5/6/13 2:58 PM5/6/13 2:58 PM