Watching the Super Bowl Alone? Frito-Lay Survey Says You’re … Not Alone
Frito-Lay’s annual Super Bowl Snack Index has been released, and it reveals that those big Super Bowl parties with friends and families may not be all the rage that they’re portrayed to be by some — especially if the food falls flat.
Nearly half of Americans surveyed will prioritize watching the Chiefs and 49ers surrounded by their favorite foods over large social gatherings with friends this year. Frito-Lay’s take on this trend borrows from an old hashtagged acronym, calling this phenomenon #JOMO, or the Joy of Missing Out.
Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R&D for PepsiCo Foods, says that culinary creations will rule Super Bowl Sunday, whether people are watching alone or in groups. Emphasizing that point, 33% of party guests surveyed said running out of food during the part is the ultimate outrage, worse than other people blocking the TV, talking through the game or talking during the highly anticipated commercials.
For fans who venture out to those social parties to watch the game, 3 of 5 guests admit that the food offered at various parties will help them decide which one they’ll attend — and 67% of those surveyed prefer the potluck format over host-provided fare.
The Super Bowl itself is an event unlike any other (editor’s note: Take it from this editor, who has covered the Super Bowl in person), but an overwhelming 81% of those surveyed would much rather watch the Super Bowl somewhere cozier than a raucous party in Las Vegas (where the Super Bowl is being played this year).
As far as the food choices go, Frito-Lay’s Super Bowl Snack Index reveals that salsa (27%), French onion (21%) and queso (20%) top the list among chips-and-dips preferences. Furthermore, with a 35% increase in consumers integrating their favorite snack products into meals, Super Bowl parties appear to be prime time for such an approach, keeping guests happy and satiated with some snack-ified meals to fill them up whether watching in a group or on their own.
This editor has three predictions: He will eat and drink well; he will enjoy the game and the commercials; and the Chiefs will beat the 49ers, 27-17.
Don’t tell our strategic account manager Betsy Norberg, however. She’ll think I didn’t give the Chiefs enough points.
