Do Us a Favour: An Exploration of Lay’s Do Us a Flavour Contest through the lens of Social Media and Brand Community Features

This study evaluated if and how the Lay’s Do Us a Flavour campaign could be classified as a brand community and how the features of this concept in conjunction with the features of social media are reflected in the design and interactions of the site. This paper uses the theory of technological affordances and the social media features of Trust, Transparency, and Authenticity combined with the three markers of brand community as a framework to understand the user interactions and design of the site. The study found that the design of the Lay’s site was limited in its design, especially in the presence of authenticity and transparency and therefore the brand community markers of moral responsibility and consciousness of kind did not have a strong presence within the site. Based on these findings, the study determined the contest, especially when considering its temporary nature, does not demonstrate the features of brand communities and cannot be considered one in its own right but could be effective as an incentive to participate in more permanent communities.