Lay’s recent ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ campaign has taken the world by storm, featuring the likes of football legend Thierry Henry and recent World Cup winner Lionel Messi.
Celebrating the buzz surrounding the UEFA Champions League tournament, the campaign sees the iconic pair show up at the homes of unsuspecting football fans. However, Henry and Messi only stay to watch the footy with the homeowners if they have a bag of Lay’s in the house.
The launch of the comedic ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ platform marks almost a decade of partnership between the PepsiCo-owned chip brand and the iconic UEFA Champions League tournament. According to the brand, ‘there’s nothing better than watching a football match at stadiums, at home, or out with friends while sharing a bag of Lay’s’.
Marketing Beat sits down for a Q&A with PepsiCo vice-president of marketing for global food brands, Ciara Dilley, to find out more about the campaign.
What was the main inspiration behind the campaign? How was the idea dreamt up?
“Lay’s introduced the ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ platform in line with the UEFA Champions League to show fans that Lay’s is an essential part of any match-day. Whether you’re sitting down to watch your favourite match or heading to your friends to enjoy the game, it’s unthinkable to do it without Lay’s.
“The brand has a multi-year partnership with the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League. This is our eighth year, and we wanted to think of a fun, original campaign to engage soccer fans around the world.
“We partnered with soccer legend, Thierry Henry, to kick off ‘No Lay’s No Game’ in a very literal way, by unexpectedly visiting Barça fans at their homes to see if they were match day ready with plenty of Lay’s chips. If they were, Henry stayed to watch the match, but if they were Lay’s-less, he left in search of supporters who were whistle ready.
“Lay’s has done its fair share of advertising and marketing around the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League, so with ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ we wanted to do something a little different. Instead of hiding behind the TV screen or computer monitor, we wanted to showcase our talent (in this case Thierry) in a way that shows his charisma and highlights the fun, excitement, and taste Lay’s bring to every football viewing experience.”
How did the collaborations with Henry and Messi arise?
“Messi is a long-time partner with Lay’s and represents the ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ mindset. The passion and joy football brings him is authentic to the brand so we are thrilled to be working with him again for our commercial.
“As for Thierry, he is known around the world as a football legend, but also represents the joy the Lay’s brand is all about. He understands what it’s like to enjoy a shared experience around football, so we felt he would be a perfect partner to help us with this fun stunt – someone with humour who also understands our brand philosophy.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vleR4bwxbw
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What is your working relationship with UEFA like?
“Lay’s has a multi-year partnership with the UEFA Champions League, aiming to excite and bring fans closer to the athletes and game they love with a strengthened, united presence across the sport.
“The brand longstanding relationship has brought exciting moments in time for the brand throughout the years. In 2020, in partnership with the UEFA Champions League, Lay’s launched a campaign featuring three football icons—Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Lieke Martens. Players starred in a 60-second spot that showed how extraordinarily distracting a bag of Lay’s is, and the lengths fans and players, alike, will go to get the world’s favourite potato chip.
“Lay’s also rolled out special edition UEFA Champions League packaging featuring Messi, Pogba, and Martens. And as previously mentioned, last year Lay’s debuted a limited-edition Lay’s G.O.A.T. Cheese Flavor Series, featuring Lionel Messi, and also launched a TVC called “Grab the Moment” starring Messi and Lieke Martens.”
How successful do you feel the campaign has been so far? Do you also have any further figures you could share on this?
“The goal of the ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ platform is to show fans that Lay’s is an essential part of any matchday. Through partnering with football icons like Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, we’ve been able to highlight our brand philosophy and show consumers that just like football, eating Lay’s is a shared experience.
“We’ve seen incredible numbers on our stunt video with Thierry, which shows that fans are liking the more authentic content. And, of course, Messi is a familiar face of our Lay’s commercials, so we are excited to have him back this year.”
Beyond the ‘No Lay’s, No Game’ campaign and commercials, what is the brand doing to help the wider footballing community?
“Lay’s commitment to football extends beyond football-watching and partnerships with superstars of the game. The brand’s Lay’s RePlay program helps underserved communities have the access to play the game they love. The award-winning program transforms empty chips bags into football pitches across the globe. Since the first Lay’s RePlay pitch launched in 2021, the initiative has provided over 5,000 hours of programming, positively impacting nearly 50,000 community members.
“Later this year, Lay’s is opening multiple new pitches worldwide to enable more inclusion, access and joy to young footballers who might dream to one day compete in the UEFA Champions League. Thanks to Lay’s, even more games will be played, forming even more bonds, and building stronger communities for those who deserve it the most.”
