PepsiCo Foods Canada is bringing back its ’80s and ’90s potato chip brand Munchies with two nostalgia-led activations.

The brand plans to launch “The Living Room,” an immersive experience in downtown Toronto that will serve as a time machine with a retro-designed living room and Munchies snacks. The activation will be available from September 17 to 21. A statue of the brand’s three classic characters in red, yellow and orange (pictured) was also placed in the city’s Canoe Landing Park and will remain there until September 20.

The activations are being promoted through a national campaign supported by influencer content, social media ads, DOOH and TV. OMD handles paid media, while Edelman is in charge of PR and influencer management, Passionfruit leads digital content and Praxis is managing community management. Vocabulary handles the creative and experiential.

Jess Spaulding, CMO of PepsiCo Canada, tells Media in Canada that the goal of the activations is to spark curiosity, as well as to transport consumers to places where connections with loved ones are made. “By creating a modern nostalgic experience with the ‘Living Room,’ we aim to marry warm, nostalgic feelings of the past, with the wonder of the future, in turn allowing people to connect to the present,” she says.

According to Spaulding, the team relied less on hard data and more on listening exercises to shape the narrative around the activations. The product itself was recalled as different and tasty, and the Munchies characters as relatable and fun, so the brand leveraged this to reintroduce the brand, she says. “Coming out of these conversations we realized Canadians saw Munchies as a snack that lived beyond the store and a brand that lived within their hearts. Nostalgia was the connective tissue that would allow us to provide this magic to all Canadians in 2024 and onwards.”

Nostalgia is also a cultural trend that crosses generations, Spaulding says. Additionally, consumers are looking for products that go beyond price, quantity and variety, she adds.

The team aims to reach customers who grew up with the brand and a new generation who are not familiar with it by presenting Munchies as an iconic Canadian brand. The target audience ranges from Gen Z to Boomers, who fit the forever young state of mind and are endlessly curious.

The brand is returning with six permanent flavours, two of which are a nod to the original Hostess versions of Munchies (Tangy Ketchup and Old School BBQ), and packaging featuring the classic retro Munchies characters. The products, a permanent addition to the PepsiCo Foods Canada portfolio, are being distributed at local retailers in different formats.