Masters of the 50:50 game
How Lay's and OMO win the coin toss, year after year
Lay's, PepsiCo's flagship snacking brand, delivered exceptional penetration growth in 2024. Adding 1.2 penetration points globally, and recruiting 22.7 million new shoppers, Lay's has secured the number 5 position in Brand Footprint’s Top 50 global brand ranking. Its transformation from solid performer to penetration champion demonstrates how brands can recruit shoppers across diverse markets.
What made its success particularly notable was its focused approach to market selection. Despite winning in fewer markets, with a drop from 58% of its markets seeing CRP growth in 2023 to 52% in 2024, Lay's concentrated its efforts where they mattered most: three priority penetration markets of Mainland China, the US, and India.
What makes Lay's compelling is its consistency paired with flexibility. For over a decade, it has maintained its core message of joy and indulgence while adapting creative execution across markets. The ‘Betcha Can't Eat Just One’ spirit remains a unifying thread, even as campaigns evolve from traditional TV to digital-first, influencer, and user-generated content.
Asia became Lay's penetration playground, demonstrating its focus on high-impact markets. In India, one of its three priority markets in the region, the brand executed comprehensive recruitment through three pillars: the 'Flavours of the World' launch, the relaunch of wafer chips and, crucially, increased packet sizes. This counter-trend approach recognised that value-conscious consumers reward brands that offer more, not less.
In Mainland China, another priority market, Lay's demonstrated hyperlocal innovation that exemplifies its localisation expertise. Its partnership with Douyin (TikTok) targeted migrant workers with limited-edition flavours from their home provinces. Roasted Oysters with Garlic, Crispy Grilled Fish, and Cumin Lamb weren't just products, they were emotional connections to home, with nostalgic packaging designed around local landmarks. This campaign shows how Lay's consistently tailors campaigns to local tastes while keeping its global brand essence intact.
Lay's explosive growth in Bangladesh demonstrates how operational excellence can unlock market potential in price-sensitive categories. The brand's penetration skyrocketed from just under 2% in 2023 to 11% in 2024 following the establishment of a local manufacturing facility in mid-2023, which fundamentally transformed its competitive position in a market dominated by local players.
The factory investment delivered immediate supply chain benefits that translated directly into market access. Reduced logistics costs enabled Lay's to introduce smaller pack formats at accessible price points. This pricing strategy proved crucial in Bangladesh's highly price-sensitive snack category, where affordability often determines brand choice.
Focused discipline pays off
In the USA, a market where penetration is over 80%, the brand managed through a variety of different flavour innovations (the ‘Do Us a Flavor’ contest) and marketing campaigns (‘No Lay’s, No Game’), to stem the shopper losses it saw in 2023, instead driving an increase in buyers in 2024.
The Brazil blueprint
In Brazil, Lay's gained two million more households through focused portfolio management. Penetration growth was driven by three core variants: Lay's Original, Lay's Sour Cream, and Lay's Rústicas. Smaller pack sizes proved crucial, demonstrating how packaging innovation can unlock new shopper segments.
OMO, Unilever's global detergent brand – also known as Persil, Skip, and Surf Excel – achieved remarkable penetration growth in 2024. Through the addition of 1.1 penetration points, OMO has become the second most chosen brand in the world. Its success centres on market focus combined with category-defining innovation.
The brand's discipline was evident in its market performance. While still growing in fewer than half of its markets, OMO tripled its success rate in its Top 10 penetration markets – expanding growth from two markets in 2023 to six markets in 2024. This demonstrates that focused investment in priority markets delivers compound returns.
Central to this success was Wonder Wash, a detergent engineered for 15-minute washing cycles that didn't just solve a consumer problem; it created an entirely new usage occasion.
What makes OMO's story particularly powerful is its remarkable consistency in both message and creative execution. For over two decades, OMO's ‘Dirt is Good’ philosophy has remained unwavering, making it a textbook example of brand consistency. Unlike many brands that show stability in strategy but variation in execution, OMO maintains both – its campaigns are instantly recognisable and reinforce the same values globally.
The innovation catalyst
Wonder Wash addressed a critical shift in consumer behaviour: most clothing is now soiled by invisible sweat and odours rather than visible stains. This insight led to a product that outperformed leading competitors in malodour removal, residue prevention, freshness, and fabric care – supported by 35 pending patents.
The rollout approach was equally impressive. Wonder Wash reached 10 markets in its first six months, with plans to expand to 20 within 20 months. This rapid global expansion helped OMO become the number one liquid detergent brand in several key countries, while maintaining or achieving number one or two market share positions across all markets.
Wonder Wash: Innovation impact in the UK
Wonder Wash became the biggest innovation in the UK FMCG industry in 2024 by value sales, demonstrating how breakthrough products can reshape entire categories. Analysis of spend in the 32 weeks ending October 2024 revealed the innovation's comprehensive impact:
Over half of the spend came directly from competitor brands
Over a quarter was beneficial to the entire category, driving additional shopping trips.
This performance of minimal cannibalisation, significant competitive gains, and category expansion, represents the ideal innovation outcome. Wonder Wash didn't just grow Persil; it expanded the addressable market while recruiting shoppers from rival brands.
The shopper expansion approachWonder Wash's strength lay in its ability to attract new consumer segments to OMO. The product appealed to pre-family households, Generation X, and empty nesters, demographics traditionally underserved by conventional laundry marketing. By creating a product for time-pressed consumers, OMO expanded its addressable market significantly.
The cultural connectionOMO's marketing evolved beyond product benefits to provide cultural resonance while maintaining its core ‘Dirt is Good’ message. The brand consistently uses storytelling, emotional appeals, and real-life family situations. Its visual language, often featuring children and outdoor play, has remained stable across platforms, ensuring a unified brand experience even as execution styles modernise.
In the UK, the brand's sports partnerships with Arsenal Football Club forged emotional connections that extended beyond functional performance. Meanwhile in Vietnam, animated campaigns featuring ‘monster-like’ dirt characters made laundry care engaging for consumers of all ages, resulting in double-digit value growth and a 1.1% market share increase during Lunar New Year.
The success of Lay's and OMO reveals three fundamental principles that separate penetration champions from the rest. These aren't theoretical concepts, but practical approaches that shift the 50:50 odds decisively.
1. A targeted focus on non-buyers. Both brands demonstrated obsessive focus on non-buyers rather than existing customers. Lay's identified 200 million Chinese migrant workers as an untapped segment, while OMO recognised that time-pressed demographics were underserved. This requires deep market understanding and the courage to invest in unfamiliar territory.
2. Innovation that expands occasions. Wonder Wash didn't just improve existing laundry experiences, it created new ones. Similarly, Lay's hyperlocal flavours turned snacking into cultural expression. The most effective penetration approaches expand the category's addressable market rather than simply competing for existing demand.
3. Brand consistency as foundation. Both brands understood that sustained penetration requires unwavering brand consistency. OMO's ‘Dirt is Good’ message has remained constant for two decades, creating instant recognition. Lay's maintains consistency in brand values while allowing executional flexibility for local relevance.
Their success proves that the 50:50 game isn't about luck, but the diligent application of proven principles, executed with operational excellence and cultural sensitivity. The brands that consistently win this game treat penetration not as a hoped-for outcome, but as a practice that requires investment, innovation, and relentless focus on non-buyers.
As we move through 2025, the economic headwinds that continue to gather suggest that mastering these penetration principles won't just be advantageous, they will be essential for growth. Read on for our three predictions for brand growth in the rest of this year and beyond.
