Feature: Digital watch: Walkers Do Us a Flavour

David Atkinson, managing partner at agency Space, gets creative at www.walkers.co.uk

“Salt & Vinegar”, “Cheese & Onion” and “Marmite” – my top three Walkers crisps. You must know your top three too. The important issue of the day dispatched, and having pondered the seeming disappearance of former mainstay of that top three, “Roast Chicken”, I am wondering whether a mere crisp mortal such as I could join the pantheon of potato deities and contribute to the advancement of mankind by inventing the new Walkers crisp.

This noble quest is thanks to the new Walkers on-pack promotion, Do us a flavour! Win a packet!, which nudges the wannabe “Crisp God” into sharing their imaginative and tasty new flavour suggestion with the world. Gauntlet well and truly taken up, I head to www.walkers.co.uk to posture among other like-minded “experts”.

I’m confronted by that boy, Lineker, trying to stare me out, intimidate me, question my substance. But ploughing on confidently, I shun the “Inspiration” section, wanting to err away from any distraction from the beautiful simplicity of my solution, and turn to salivate at the “Prizes”. Here, I encounter the Match of the Day host and occasional bad golf interpreter appearing to make off with the hefty and very motivating prize fund – £50,000 and one per cent of future sales for the winner, and £10,000 runners-up prizes for five other flavours.

But what really chops my spuds is the very idea that my crisp will be on shelf, to be tasted, judged, and top three-ed, by the entire nation. Imagine walking into your newsagent, supermarket, pub or off-licence to discover your work, your passion, wrapped up in one eye-catching but ultimately disposable bag.

I stride manfully into the “Enter” section to submit my life’s work for the eyes of the judges. Gary gives me the nod “right up my street”, and I leave basic details for him to give me a call to let me know that I’ve won.

Last but not least, I upload a photo to show my inspiration behind the idea. The world, no doubt, awaits. Exhausted and thrilled by the engaging experience, I return to my “Salt & Vinegar”, tip my head back and empty the final potatoey remnants into my mouth in triumph.