Lay's Potato Chips And Nick Lachey Hit The Road To Celebrate The Tastes Of America And Surprise Four Lucky "Do Us A Flavor" Finalists Vying For $1 Million Contest Grand Prize

Finalist Flavors to be Formally Revealed in mid-July; Fans Invited to an Early, First-of-its-Kind Flavor Preview

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Jul 07, 2015, 06:02 ET

PLANO, Texas, July 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Lay's potato chips, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, today announced it has narrowed millions of submissions in its "Do Us A Flavor" contest to four lucky finalists who will compete for a life-changing $1 million grand prize. Representing four flavorful cities and towns across the country, these finalists drew inspiration from all kinds of unique locations to come up with their potential million-dollar ideas — from their favorite local eateries to the places they have lived and traveled. And as America now gears up to vote for the ultimate contest winner, the Lay's brand is gearing up for the ultimate cross-country road trip to surprise these four finalists, letting them know their potato chip dreams are about to become reality.

Joining this exciting adventure is TV personality and multiplatinum recording artist Nick Lachey. No stranger to delicious flavors, Lachey has traveled the country performing for millions and experiencing local dishes along the way. He's also co-owner of Lachey's, a sports bar located in his hometown of Cincinnati known for offering up a local twist on traditional American recipes. Beyond his passion for great food and local fare, Lachey also has been part of some of television's most life-changing moments as the host of NBC's highly rated a capella competition show "The Sing Off." Next up, Lachey will embark on a tour across the country with the Lay's brand to celebrate the sights and tastes of America and change the lives of the four lucky finalists.

"Throughout my career, I've spent months traveling the country performing and meeting millions of fans. As part of that experience, I've had the opportunity to take in the local tastes of cities and towns across America," said Lachey. "Now I get to head out on another incredible, cross-country journey. I can't wait to meet these four 'Do Us A Flavor' finalists, try their flavors and see the look on their faces when I tell them they're in the running for a $1 million grand prize."

While the finalist flavors and the contestants behind those flavors will be formally unveiled in mid-July, fans across the country can get in on the fun leading up to the big reveal. In a "Do Us A Flavor" contest first, the Lay's brand plans to debut an oversized vending machine in Los Angeles, Calif. that will dispense the four finalist flavors in mystery packaging, offering fans the chance to put their palates to the test and guess what flavors they taste. The Lay's brand also will share clues about the four finalist flavors and the locations that inspired them through its social media channels leading up to the much-anticipated flavor reveal later this summer. For more details, please visit www.DoUsAFlavor.com.

"This contest has had incredible success in the U.S. and around the world, and it continues to be a blockbuster hit with our fans," said Jeff Klein, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "This time around, we added a unique new twist to really celebrate the diversity of flavors throughout the country in a big way. We can't wait to hit the road this summer to surprise our four finalists, and hope fans have a ton of fun trying to guess the flavors and the delicious locations they represent."

For the third installment of the "Do Us A Flavor" contest, the Lay's brand asked fans to once again come up with a flavor name, up to three ingredients, the chip style and an inspiration or story for their flavor submissions. For this year's contest, the brand also decided to take America's love of delicious flavors to a whole new level by asking fans to include the locations that inspired their submissions.

This summer, four delicious finalist flavors — representing flavorful locations across the U.S. — will be fully developed, brought to store shelves and voted on by America. The winning flavor — as determined by fan votes — will be revealed in the fall with the help of Lachey. The three runner-up finalists will win $50,000 in prize money, with the grand prize winner taking home a $1 million check or one percent of his or her flavor's net sales (whichever is higher) for the period of July 15, 2015 through July 15, 2016.

Brief Contest History
PepsiCo has held "Do Us A Flavor" contests in numerous countries with consumers suggesting millions of ideas for chips flavors around the world. In July 2012, the Lay's brand launched its first "Do Us A Flavor" contest in the U.S., which resulted in Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread submitted by Karen Weber-Mendham, a children's librarian from Land O'Lakes, Wis., being selected as the first million-dollar winner. The contest returned to the U.S. for a second time in January 2014 with Lay's Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger, submitted by Meneko Spigner McBeth of Deptford, N.J., crowned the winner.

For more information and official contest rules, please visit www.DoUsAFlavor.com.

About Lay's
Lay's potato chips is one of the billion-dollar brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $14 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Learn more about Lay's by visiting www.facebook.com/lays or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lays. You can also follow Lay's on Instagram by visiting http://instagram.com/lays.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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