• by Steve Ellwanger , March 1, 2022

Image above: Country music star Thomas Rhett (right) discusses dog preferences with a friend.

Frito-Lay is putting television advertising support behind Fritos for the first time in 20 years in a partnership with country music star Thomas Rhett.

Dubbed “Down For Everything,” the campaign positions the nearly 90-year-old Fritos corn chips as a versatile snack for a variety of occasions.

In this spot from the Motive agency, Rhett—the 2021 Academy of Country Music Male Artist of the Year—is accompanied by friends in a series of vignettes.

A variety of Fritos brand flavors are showcased as the friends banter about such lighthearted topics as “backroads or highways,” “labrador retrievers or poodles," “action movies or romantic comedies,” and music genres.

“Thomas Rhett embodies everything this new Fritos campaign is about. His down-to-earth persona, including his close ties to family, his passion for nostalgia, plus his personal connection to the Fritos brand, are what make him a perfect partner to help us tell this story," Frito-Lay senior vice president of marketing Stacy Taffet tells Marketing Daily. 

Within the Frito-Lay portfolio, Fritos seems to have taken a back seat as the PepsiCo Inc. unit has expanded other snacks into the convenience-food category. Examples include Doritos’ segue to tacos and Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese.

In a presentation to financial analysts last month, Fritos wasn’t mentioned—nor was it included in images of nearly two dozen Frito-Lay snacks.

Fritos did make a cameo appearance in Frito-Lay’s 2021 holiday campaign fronted by Jimmy Fallon.

Revenue-wise, the top five Frito-Lay brands in North America are Cheetos, Doritos, Lay’s, Ruffles and Tostitos.

PepsiCo has a nearly 60% share of the U.S. salty snacks market in channels tracked by Nielsen.