Tostitos whips up 42-layer royal wedding cake made from dip

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.