Mumbai: Lay’s®, PepsiCo India’s iconic potato chip brand, has expanded its regional innovation portfolio with the launch of Lay’s® Hot Chips Style Asian Fiery Chilli, a new variant tailored to the chilli-forward flavour preferences of consumers across South India.
The new offering is being introduced across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The launch is part of Lay’s® focus on consumer-led innovation, drawing on regional food traditions and local taste preferences to develop products suited to specific consumption occasions.
Thin, crispy potato chips have long been associated with everyday meals in South India and are often enjoyed alongside dishes such as curd rice, rasam rice and lemon rice. With consumers increasingly seeking familiar, locally inspired flavours from trusted brands, Lay’s® has drawn inspiration from this eating occasion to create a packaged snack that can be enjoyed alongside meals or on its own.
Made with potatoes and using an innovative marination technology, Lay’s® Hot Chips Style Asian Fiery Chilli is designed to deliver a distinctive crunch and fiery chilli flavour inspired by the region’s palate. The product combines Lay’s® signature quality with a locally inspired taste experience.
Commenting on the launch, Aastha Bhasin, Marketing Director – Potato Chips Category, PepsiCo India, said, “At Lay’s®, bringing joy through great flavours begins with understanding what our consumers love. As India’s tastes continue to evolve, we are strengthening our focus on regional preferences to create products that resonate locally.
“Lay’s® Hot Chips Style Asian Fiery Chilli has been crafted especially for South India, inspired by the region’s love for fiery flavours. This launch is part of our continued commitment to celebrating India’s culinary diversity through innovation while delivering the unmistakable Lay’s® taste and quality that consumers trust.”
The launch is supported by a 360-degree integrated campaign spanning television, digital, social media, outdoor, print and in-store activations.
The campaign film features a family meal, with a wife managing a work call while her husband serves his special curd rice. The familiar meal gets a flavour twist when he adds Lay’s® Hot Chips Style Asian Fiery Chilli to her next bite. The combination of the fiery chilli flavour and crunch transforms the everyday meal, eliciting the spontaneous reaction, “Abbabbahh… Super!”
The campaign uses humour and everyday family moments to highlight how the new variant can add a distinctive flavour and crunch to familiar South Indian meals.
Lay’s® Hot Chips Style Asian Fiery Chilli is now available across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu at price points of ₹5, ₹10 and ₹25 through traditional retail outlets and quick-commerce platforms.
AGENCY CREDITS
Creative Agency – Leo India
CCO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia and Chairman Leo South Asia – Rajdeepak Das
Chief Executive Officer-South Asia – Leo, Publicis Business and Publicis Health – Amitesh Rao
Chief Creative Officers – Vikram Pandey & Sachin Kamble
Chief Strategy officer – Anirban Roy
Senior Vice President – Head of Strategy, Delhi – Pritish Mukherjee
Delhi office Head – Jaikrit Singh
Executive Vice President – Neha Kapoor
Group Executive Creative Director – Nitin Pradhan
Executive Creative Director – Sandeep Iyer
Senior Executive Creative Director – Arjun Jetly
Associate Executive Creative Director – Saurav Dasgupta
Creative Director – Kulteja Ponnada
Account Management – Swapnil Malushte & Kirti Sinha
Production House – Colonial Films
Director – Nitin Menon
Producer – Pintu Mishra
