Apr 3 2008
SunChips, Frito-Lay's popular line of multigrain snacks, announced today that it is living up to its name by using the power of the sun itself in everything from advertising to producing the product. Starting April 21, 2008, a field of solar concentrators at Frito-Lay's Modesto, Calif. manufacturing facility will officially begin harnessing the power of the sun to help make SunChips snacks at that location, marking one more step SunChips is taking toward a healthier planet.
To celebrate this milestone, SunChips is kicking-off a new advertising campaign this month to highlight the brand's solar energy efforts and to encourage consumers to take their own small steps to live a brighter life. National print, online and television advertising rolls out now, and SunChips will take an extra special step in honor of Earth Day, April 22, 2008, by running a solar-powered print ad in newspapers across the country. The brand will also debut a solar-powered billboard in the Modesto, Calif. area.
"Our new solar-centric campaign provides us with an opportunity to creatively communicate SunChips' commitment and continued efforts to support green energy," said Gannon Jones, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "When our consumers choose SunChips snacks it represents a small step they are taking toward a better lifestyle. By harnessing the power of the sun to help make SunChips snacks, we can now inspire them to take a small step toward a better planet too."
SunChips' national television and print ads will emphasize the brand's "Live Brightly" campaign, which focuses on the simple yet powerful idea that small steps can add up to have a positive impact on your life as a whole. The first-of-its-kind, solar-powered interactive newspaper ad will encourage consumers to hold the print ad up to the sun's rays to unveil the SunChips message. The solar-powered billboard will reveal the SunChips message by casting a shadow changing the look of the outdoor billboard as the sun naturally tracks across the sky. The new SunChips brand advertising and Web site were created by Juniper Park, Toronto, and OMD in New York is handling media buys.
SunChips will also launch a new Web site at http://www.sunchips.com this week, including everything from solar energy education to suggested small steps visitors can take to live brightly.
In addition to supporting solar energy, SunChips features on its packaging, the Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e(R) symbol, which identifies supporters of green energy through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs). The RECs purchase matches 100% of the electricity needed to produce SunChips snacks in the U.S. Electricity is one of several energy sources used to produce SunChips snacks.
The RECs are part of the PepsiCo RECs purchase, announced last year, which matches the electricity use of all of Frito-Lay's U.S.-based facilities, including those manufacturing sites that produce SunChips snacks. The purchase of RECs helps drive the development of additional renewable energy capacity.
SunChips multigrain snacks, originally introduced in 1991, contain whole grains, 0 grams of trans fats, and are made with Sunflower Oil. SunChips, available in Original, Harvest Cheddar, French Onion and Garden Salsa flavors, provide 18 grams of whole grains per one ounce serving from a blend of corn, oats and wheat. The Modesto, Calif. plant is one of seven Frito-Lay plants across the country that make SunChips snacks.
Frito-Lay North America is the $10 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo divisions include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana.