Despite McCoy’s launching a successful campaign for Muchos (a new type of folded, crispy tortilla snacks) and delivering a strong sales performance, there was still plenty of room for growth. The 2019 launch was KP Snacks’ biggest ever NPD launch and McCoy’s first step into the sharing category (180g), competing with Pringles and the lead tortilla snack, Doritos. However, with fewer promotions in Q4/Q1 2020, McCoy’s needed to recruit new shoppers to the brand, as it appeared that many Muchos fans had switched to other strong flavoured snacks.
What They Wanted
With no TV ad in place and limited time to produce one, Starcom sought a partner to help overcome the challenge. Channel 4 emerged as the perfect fit – offering not only the right audience (comedy lovers with a taste for irreverent programming) but also a bold personality match: brave, unconventional, and willing to take creative risks.
Together with Channel 4, Starcom developed The Ultimate Tortilla Take Down – a bold, entertaining concept to relaunch McCoy’s Muchos, a new folded, crispy tortilla snack.
Armoury, with a longstanding relationship with Channel 4, was brought on board to produce the ads. With a tight budget, we opted for a creative use of stock footage to bring the idea to life.
Despite a strong initial launch in 2019 (KP Snacks’ biggest NPD launch to date), McCoy’s Muchos needed renewed momentum. As the brand’s first foray into the sharing category (180g bags), it was going head-to-head with snack giants like Pringles and Doritos. However, after a drop in promotional activity in Q4/Q1 2020, sales tapered – suggesting that initial fans had moved on to other bold-flavour snacks. The challenge was clear: attract new shoppers and reignite excitement.
What we did
We partnered with McCoy’s to create two 20-second ads for The Ultimate Tortilla Take Down. Each ad featured a wrestling match between two snack-themed characters: Muchos McCoy (a folded tortilla snack) vs. Tony Tortilla (a traditional triangle chip). Their animated, oversized heads – crafted from stock footage and clever editing – brought the absurdity and humour to life.
Armoury collaborated closely with Starcom and McCoy’s across strategy and production. Time and budget constraints made efficient creative thinking essential. Our team was involved from the concept stage, helping define the brand’s tone and identify key usage occasions for the target market.
Tone was everything. The campaign needed to land in fun, comedic programming. Starcom hand-picked the perfect spots: Taskmaster and The Last Leg – both Thursday/Friday Channel 4 staples with high co-viewership and cheeky humour to match the campaign’s spirit. Casting Alex Brooker as the voiceover sealed the tone – irreverent, fun, and memorable.
Impact
- 70% of the audience said they would consider buying Muchos (their best-ever score on the brand health tracker).
- 81% of Doritos buyers said they are more likely to consider buying Muchos.
- 78% of the audience agreed they felt warmer towards the brand (vs. 52% norm).
- 62% uplift in value sales while on-air (vs. 20% target).
