Frito-Lay Offers $1 Million Prize For New Lay’s Potato Chip Flavor

Posted on July 31st, 2012 10:51am by Jason Heid
Filed under Business, Food

Plano-based Frito-Lay is crowd-sourcing its development of new flavors of Lay’s potato chips. There’s an app on the brand’s Facebook page in which actress Eva Longoria invites you to invent your own flavor and to vote on which flavors you’d eat.

The New York Times reports on this and other social media-based marketing/market research efforts by companies like Frito-Lay and Walmart:

Visitors to the new Lay’s Facebook app are asked to suggest new flavors and click an “I’d Eat That” button to register their preferences. So far, the results show that a beer-battered onion-ring flavor is popular in California and Ohio, while a churros flavor is a hit in New York.

“It’s a new way of getting consumer research,” said Ann Mukherjee, chief marketing officer of Frito-Lay North America. “We’re going to get a ton of new ideas.”

Frito-Lay plans to produce three of the flavors generated by its contest, and to award a $1 million prize to the creator of one of those flavors.

Frito-Lay has already run the contest overseas, resulting in chip flavors like hot and spicy crab in Thailand and pickled cucumber in Serbia.

59 comments

  1. How about first making some flavors available here that they have in other countries.
    I miss the Paprika chips they sell through their Benelux division on the German market.

    @ 11:28 am on July 31, 2012

  2. Cheddar cheese

    @ 12:14 pm on July 31, 2012

  3. chorizo and bacon flavored lays chips

    @ 4:10 pm on July 31, 2012

  4. Queso as in Velveeta Blanco with Rotel tomatoes and cilantro

    @ 8:34 pm on July 31, 2012

  5. korean style kim chee

    @ 9:21 pm on July 31, 2012

  6. I think it’s stupid to search for a new flavor when there was a very good one removed – Carolina Barbeque!

    @ 1:41 am on August 1, 2012

  7. I’d just be happy if I could get All-Dressed in the States instead of having to go to Canada.

    @ 9:12 am on August 1, 2012

  8. El popular,chorizo & Supremo, chihuahua queso

    @ 2:20 pm on August 1, 2012

  9. I would like to submit Raging cajun. The 3 spices would be red pepper garlic and oregano>.

    @ 4:25 pm on August 1, 2012

  10. My idea is to name the chip Raging cajun. The 3 spices would be hot pepper, garlic and oregano!

    @ 4:26 pm on August 1, 2012

  11. Bacon cheeseburger. Is this the official entry thing? If so I want to want to enter with bacon cheeseburger!!!!

    @ 8:01 pm on August 1, 2012

  12. Anchovies and parmesan chesse

    @ 9:28 pm on August 1, 2012

  13. How about flavor chickenAlfredo flavor…

    @ 6:04 pm on August 2, 2012

  14. I think checking Alfredo would be nice..

    @ 6:11 pm on August 2, 2012

  15. what about coten candy chips???? aug.3,2012

    @ 1:24 am on August 3, 2012

  16. chocalate chip frito lays or spicy hot mustard frito lays

    @ 7:34 pm on August 5, 2012

  17. chocalate chip most deff. that sounds good

    @ 7:37 pm on August 5, 2012

  18. those all sound good.but a little on the flip side.what about swiss cheese and avacado.

    @ 4:08 pm on August 11, 2012

  19. A new flavor for Lays, my suggestion is “Blue Cheese Garlic”.

    @ 9:44 pm on August 18, 2012

  20. Anohter flavor I would suggest “Italian Fontina”

    @ 9:53 pm on August 18, 2012

  21. rotel and velveeta cheese

    @ 10:56 pm on August 19, 2012

  22. Parmesan chicken, bacon wrapped mushrooms

    @ 4:47 am on August 22, 2012

  23. Pork adobo, chili cheese fries

    @ 4:49 am on August 22, 2012

  24. Celery and Sea Salt

    @ 9:13 pm on August 24, 2012

  25. Hownabout Cinnamon Sugar flavor chips for a bit of a change? Just a thought!

    @ 11:44 pm on August 24, 2012

  26. lasagna flavor italian style

    @ 8:35 pm on August 25, 2012

  27. Lemon Lime Flavor Chips

    @ 10:21 pm on August 25, 2012

  28. hmmmmmm how bout reed onion, cucumber with dill weed

    @ 4:17 pm on August 26, 2012

  29. Million dollar prize Bacon,chive,cheese

    @ 2:09 pm on August 27, 2012

  30. A new flavor for Lays, my suggestion is Margarita.

    @ 4:08 pm on August 27, 2012

  31. Chocolate flavor

    @ 7:53 pm on August 27, 2012

  32. Sour cream and dill?

    @ 9:08 pm on August 27, 2012

  33. Bacon and chedder would be great taste for potaoe chips,I,d eat that!

    @ 7:20 pm on August 28, 2012

  34. Bacon and chedder

    @ 7:21 pm on August 28, 2012

  35. Parmesan and cilantro

    @ 7:16 am on August 29, 2012

  36. Acen A-1 lays potato chips is my entry.

    @ 11:00 am on August 30, 2012

  37. watermelon,honey,hickory smoke,sea salt

    @ 11:05 am on August 30, 2012

  38. I would like to see a bag of chips with three flavors in it, parmisan cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, three different chips in one bag so when you grab a handful it tastes like spaghetti and meatballs with cheese on top

    @ 10:33 pm on August 30, 2012

  39. garlic steak alfredo

    @ 6:31 pm on September 12, 2012

  40. I think that pineapple flavor is a good idea for Lays chip and just a little touch of sea salt

    @ 5:00 pm on September 14, 2012

  41. cheddar bacon, or jalapeno cheddar

    @ 5:11 pm on September 15, 2012

  42. Tequila lime flavored chips

    @ 7:57 pm on September 15, 2012

  43. HAM SANDWICH WITH BARBAQUE CHIPS YUM EVER HAD A HONEYBAKED HAM AND BBQ CHIPS DELISH

    @ 1:12 am on September 16, 2012

  44. Jalapeños & avocado

    @ 12:54 am on September 17, 2012

  45. Orange Cinnamon or Cinnabon flavoring–Cinnfully delicious!
    or Butter Pecan
    or Sweet and Sour
    or Asian Toasted Sesame
    all of these go with the light airy salty Lays chips

    @ 6:18 pm on September 18, 2012

  46. Chipotle Mango

    @ 3:15 pm on September 30, 2012

  47. Popcorn

    @ 6:04 pm on October 3, 2012

  48. Pepperoni and cheese so much easier than cutting it up

    @ 2:47 pm on October 7, 2012

  49. My falvor came to me one night while eating wolf brand chili I added onion peppers some mustard with cheese ..I vote. For hola Pina chili cheese potato secret to the tang is the mustard and I’m in onion,Sweet. Or hot..it was so good it tops a frito pie.
    Sincerely ..Sonjia nance/FOSSETT

    @ 12:32 am on October 12, 2012

  50. yes I told sister inlaw to send you and new flavor for the million dollar give away,I saw on T>V> today the pumpkin flavor,now why is it she has not been contacted

    @ 7:35 pm on October 12, 2012

  51. Vanilla ice cream chips.
    Like dipping fries into a shake!
    Or chorizo chips.
    Bleu cheese and French dressing chips.
    Cinnamon chips.
    These are my official entries

    @ 9:39 am on October 14, 2012

  52. I have at least 80 different flavor submissions. Check out my flavor suggestions and click on the like button if you would eat them. Just for my benefit to see if I am really creative. My favorite is Saratoga Crums 75 This is a chip named after George Crum the inventor of the potato chip and Herman Lay the founder of the lays potato chip and the 75th anniversary of Lays. The flavor is crab, shrimp, cajun, red potatoes, corn and butter. Kind of like an
    old bay crab chip but with shrimp red potatoes corn on the cob. I think that Louisiana Cajun seasoning taste better than Old Bay.

    @ 11:46 am on October 16, 2012

  53. When I was small my Mom would make a casserole after the holidays. She layered sliced potatoes, cheddar cheese and sliced ham and salt and pepper to taste. This was a great supper and also in the morning with eggs for breakfast. I have often thought that this would be a GREAT potato chip flavor.

    @ 8:33 pm on October 16, 2012

  54. My flavor eould be fried chicken skin …..

    @ 3:59 pm on October 20, 2012

  55. Banana.peppers flavor potatoe chip rings

    @ 7:50 pm on October 21, 2012

  56. Banana pepper flavored chip rings

    @ 1:06 pm on October 22, 2012

  57. bacon, or bacon cheeseburg with black pepper

    @ 12:01 pm on October 26, 2012

  58. hot popper flavored

    @ 12:05 pm on October 26, 2012

  59. I’m with Martin — paprika, please!

    @ 2:45 pm on October 27, 2012