Tostitos wants people to hang out more or become 'Van Dammed'

Dive Brief:

Frito-Lay brand Tostitos unveiled a campaign called "Get Together Already" featuring action-film star Jean-Claude Van Damme in a series of humorous spots, The Drum reported.
In a 30-second ad, Van Damme discusses the importance of making time to hang out with friends or risk getting replaced with someone like him. "Do you really want Van Damme hanging out with your friends?" he asks in the spot, before taking selfies with groups of friends, bonding over a campfire and serving as a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding. "You just got Van Dammed. Don't get Van Dammed," he says at the end of the ad.
The campaign also features a series of six- and 15-second videos starring Van Damme. The campaign includes TV, digital, social and experiential elements that will be launched throughout the year, according to The Drum.

Dive Insight:

The friendship-focused messaging helps Tostitos position itself as the chip of choice for parties and other social get-togethers. By bringing on an action star from the '80s and '90s like Van Damme, the brand might be able to stoke a sense of nostalgia in snackers, though younger consumers — whom Tostitos is looking to connect with — might not recognize the actor.

Encouraging more face-to-face social interactions is a growing trend for brands as the negative effects of spending too much time online and on devices like mobile phones becomes increasingly apparent. Rather than leaning into serious, PSA-style messaging, the Frito-Lay label is putting a focus on humor and the clever line of getting "Van Damned" for being asocial.

Tostitos' latest effort falls in line with its Super Bowl marketing push, which had a party-planning theme and a digital party invitation creator. The personalized video invitations also starred a throwback '90s personality, TV star Alfonso Ribeiro, and users could list their names and party locations on the videos and then share them via social media. By adding six- and 15-second videos into the mix for Get Together Already, Tostitos recognizes the growing popularity of social media and mobile video consumption. Shorter videos are most likely to grab the attention of younger consumers, who have a growing purchasing power but also shorter attention spans for ads.