Lay’s, Nick Lachey to name four finalists in ‘Do Us A Flavor’ contest

PLANO, Texas — Lay’s potato chips will announce the four finalists who will be competing for a $1 million prize in its “Do Us A Flavor” contest in mid-July, with the help of TV personality and recording artist Nick Lachey.

The contest invited fans to pitch a flavor name, up to three ingredients, a chip style and a location-based inspiration for their submissions. Submissions from this year’s four finalists will be fully developed, brought to stores and voted on by consumers.

"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," Jeff Klein, Frito-Lay North America’s VP of marketing, said. "This time around, we added a unique new twist to really celebrate the diversity of flavors throughout the country in a big way.”

The three runners-up will win $50,000 in prize money, with the grand prize winner taking home either a $1 million

check or one percent of their flavor's net sales for the period of July 15, 2015 through July 15, 2016.

Lachey, who co-owns Lachey’s, a sports bar located in Cincinnati that serves American cuisine, will reveal the winning flavor in the fall. In the next few months, he will tour the country with Lay’s to celebrate the four finalists’ submissions.

"Throughout my career, I've spent months traveling the country performing and meeting millions of fans,” Lachey said. “As part of that experience, I've had the opportunity to take in the local tastes of cities and towns across America. Now I get to head out on another incredible, cross-country journey.”

Before the four finalists are announced, Lay’s plans to debut an oversized vending machine in Los Angeles that will contain the four finalist flavors in mystery packaging and offer fans the opportunity to guess what flavors they taste. Lay’s will also offer clues about the flavors and the locations that inspired them via social media.