With GenZs being the target audience of a plethora of brands and pop culture references becoming a popular cultural-relevance driver from an experiential marketing standpoint, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that only a handful brands have the ability to actually do these category crossovers right.
Back in 2019, Pepsi had first collaborated with award winning ready-to-wear unisex fashion homegrown label- HUEMN which was co-founded by Pranav Misra and Shyma Shetty for a fashion show wherein Disha Patani, the brand ambassador of Pepsi, walked the ramp for PepsiCo India.
Post that, in 2022, PepsiCo India also collaborated with HUEMN for a limited drop of Pepsi, not just for a curated selection of apparel comprising hoodies, sweatshirts and oversized t-shirts but also for Pepsi x HUEMN cans for Pepsi Black.
It was in the aftermath of this rizz, that the brand also made headlines globally for launching a bag in collaboration with Balenciaga featuring its iconic Lay’s pack for $1800 (approximately Rs 1.50 lakh).
That being said, it was only recently that PepsiCo and HUEMN, once again came together for curating a drip collection for Lay’s and to celebrate the love and connection people have with the potato chips brand.
Taking into consideration all of the above, Marketing Mind sat down with Saumya Rathor, Category Lead- Potato Chips, PepsiCo India to get a sneak peek into the brand’s decision to collaborate with a streetwear brand twice, what it means from a marketing standpoint,
Speaking about the insight that led to the conceptualisation of Lay’s x HUEMN collaboration, Rathor said, “Since my Pepsi days, I’ve had a really good equation with Pranav and we had collaborated with HUEMN for the first time in 2019 for Pepsi wherein we had Disha Patani walk the ramp for us and then in 2022, we did it again with Sara Ali Khan headlining the Pepsi x HUEMN apparel launch. We’ve always loved the sensibility of HUEMN and perceive it as one of the coolest streetwear brands in India with a lot of people loving to wear their designs and a lot many youngsters aspiring to get their hands on the label’s products.”
Alongside HUEMN driving aspirations in youth and hitting the nail on streetwear collections with its sensibilities, designs and craftsmanship, she mentioned that what was different this time with Lay’s entering into a one-year partnership with HUEMN was that the recently unveiled collection did not revolve around celebrities but made it a lot about the brand’s consumers.
“I feel really proud this time because this collaboration was all about how Lay’s is loved by Indians. By that, what I really mean is that when you ask consumers in India about their favorite Lay’s product, they respond with a color- green, blue, yellow, etc. and that is what has exactly been brought alive in a very colourful, vibrant and joyful manner via the design of the collection,” she said.
With this, PepsiCo’s Rathor also mentioned that unlike last time when Pepsi had first announced the collaboration and then come up with a limited collection of Pepsi x HUEMN cans for Pepsi Black, the brand this time resorted to their much-loved packs of Lay’s for raising the curtains and both the streetwear brand and the potato chips company wanted to link everything to how people love Lay’s.
“As a brand, PepsiCo likes to do things which are very unique and differentiated and at the same time always stay true to the brand that we’re really talking about. So, the way we launched it this time was through a treasure hunt where we’d invited fans of Lay’s to come in and find for themselves some uniquely designed packs of Lay’s and be surprised with a merch drop instead of potato chips. We wanted to show them that it’s true when we say- ‘All the magic or joy happens in a pack of Lay’s,” she elaborated
Furthermore, she also pointed out that the collaboration, bringing the world of Lay’s and HUEMN together, is all about offering the brand’s community a chance to wear something that represents both comfort and the joy of snacking.
“We wanted to capture the delicious taste of Lay’s flavors and turn them into a wearable experience. With this limited edition collection we bring to you HUEMN’s statement silhouettes in crispy flavors. And so, the collection consists of 25 styles, including t-shirts, hoodies, and shirts, all inspired from the distinctiveness of each flavor of Lay’s and played with vibrant colors and textures,” she added.
Unlike other brand collaborations of contemporary times wherein merchandise collabs like these often result in the brands placed on the face of the products starkly, Rathor emphasised that such wasn’t the case for Lay’s and HUEMN collaboration because PepsiCo, as a company, is all about its products and therefore, even the collection is named after the iconic flavour names of Lay’s like Lay’s x HUEMN ‘Chile Limón’ Shirt, Lay’s x HUEMN ‘Classic Salted’ T-shirt, Lay’s x HUEMN ‘Cream and Onion’ Hoodie and so on and so forth.
That being said, the brand skipped including a ‘Magic Masala’ pack for this particular collection drop and therefore upon being questioned on the same, PepsiCo’s Rathor scoffed and said that maybe that’ll be a part of a limited edition drop in the future.
Given that the price range for Lay’s x HUEMN collaboration hovers between Rs 4900 to Rs 13500, she emphasised that Lay’s is one of those very rare and iconic brands globally in terms of recognisability and love who have the ability of being very accessible to consumers owing to the value proposition of Rs 5-10 and at the same time charge a premium only because of the love that consumers have for the brand.
“As a brand, Lay’s can stretch from a value to a premium spectrum, fundamentally, and therefore I can bet that the same people who can buy a Balenciaga or a HUEMN will also have a favorite Lay’s pack because that’s the brand value and consumer love that Lay’s has built for itself since its launch in 1935. And this stature is something that very few brands can actually command and so, it becomes really critical for us to constantly keep elevating that imagery and drive aspiration for the brand. Also, when a brand collaborates with a designer like HUEMN, the collection itself will be priced in a certain range,” she said.
Furthermore, she also highlighted that PepsiCo’s marketing team always ensures that the MNC’s brands have the right balance of associating with premium whilst ensuring that the brands have something at a value range as well.
Commenting on how does this collaboration for branded merchandises adds to the overall brand value of Lay’s, Rathor said, “As an organisation, we have very solid processes and protocols set in place. And so even when we work on brands that move culture- be it Lay’s, Pepsi and more, what’s critical is that we ensure that our brands get activated across multiple touchpoints and for that, we have a framework called the Total Connection Planning which essentially requires us to come up with multiple ways of showcasing or bringing our brands to life because today we all live in a very omnichannel world where it is almost like a multiverse of platforms,” she said
“As marketers, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our brands shows up on all channels where our consumers are and to have a much more engaging connection with them therein and that too in a very authentic and in a very organic way. And merchandising is also a part of that because we as PepsiCo want our consumers to love our brands so much that they’re willing to wear it- be it to their prom parties, to college, etc. and having that power over the brand’s consumers is essentially something that I feel that very few brands have,” she said.
Moreover, PepsiCo’s Rathor also highlighted that the range also includes monogrammed pieces featuring slim-fit t-shirts, bodysuits, and hand embroidered pieces currently, with a unique T-shirt and hand embroidered accessory coming soon.
“Allowing us to incorporate intricate patterns and details into the collection, each piece under Lay’s x HUEMN collaboration is a labor of love, reflecting our dedication to innovation, craftsmanship and attention to detail. The all-over chips design creates a tactile and visual connection with its consumer. You may get confused — Should you wear it, or just eat it,” she added enthusiastically.
Delving further into the collaboration’s launch during festive and the role of the same in terms of long and short term objectives, she clarified, “Collaborations like these will always be a culture-driving and conversation-driving activities and are bound to help build the brand in the long term by establishing itself in a distinctive manner and even build the brand’s equity. Fundamentally too, a category like potato chips has multiple players and so, the more distinctive we are as a brand, the better it is because then consumers are likely to be drawn towards us. Hence, we don’t have any business metrics or ROI associated with this particular activity.”
On a forward looking note, she also hinted that PepsiCo will soon be relaunching one of its iconic brands and therefore the brand’s festive plans will be pivoted on that.
