Dive Brief:
- Tostitos is celebrating the upcoming royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with a towering wedding cake made of dip, according to news made available in an email to Marketing Dive.
- The "cake" is comprised of 42 layers of dip made from more than 72 jars of Tostitos dip products. Other features include a bride and groom topper made from queso, hand-piped flowers of guacamole and chip decorations.
- A video of the cake's construction will be posted on Tostitos' Facebook and Instagram channels. The brand has shared a recipe for a seven-layer dip cake, a simplified version of the wedding cake, on its website.
Dive Insight:
Frito-Lay's Tostitos is the latest brand to catch British royal-wedding fever with a towering concoction it hopes will generate some media buzz based on sheer scale alone and also a DIY recipe catered more to the watch-party crowd. With coverage of the wedding beginning at 5 a.m. EST on some U.S. networks, it may be a little too early for chips and dip, but the videos and images of the elaborate, 42-layer dip cake could help Tostitos grab attention from foodies and royal family fans on social media.
Party-planning has been a regular theme in Tostitos' marketing, as chips and dip remain a staple of get-togethers and destination viewing events. Instead of running a TV spot this year, the brand launched a digital invitation creator for its Super Bowl campaign. The platform allowed users to create a personalized video invite featuring '90s TV icon Alfonso Ribeiro.
Royal nuptials, like the Super Bowl, are frequently a huge ratings draw, and Markle's marriage to Prince Harry is expected to be especially popular among U.S. viewers because the bride is American-born. Viewership is forecast to exceed 3 billion across TV, social media and smartphones — far more than the 2 billion-plus who tuned in to see Prince William wed Kate Middleton in 2011 — according to USA Today.
More brands are embracing the wedding's early-morning airtime with breakfast-themed campaigns to capitalize on the hype. Kellogg's is hosting a watch party at its NYC Café with a multi-course meal and cereal-box fascinator hats. Like Tostitos, the marketer provided how-to videos and recipes so fans can whip up their own creations at home. Dunkin' Donuts is also celebrating the occasion with a special heart-shaped Royal Love Donut and plans to open some of its shops earlier than usual.
