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Lays Bar Crawl

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THE CHALLENGE

Lay’s is the world’s #1 potato chip brand, yet it was missing from 67% of football-viewing occasions – a major gap during one of the biggest snacking moments globally. Despite strong awareness, the brand lacked emotional relevance at match time, while private labels and trend-led competitors gained traction. 

As a key UEFA Champions League partner, Lay’s needed to turn visibility into cultural meaning. The challenge was simple: make Lay’s feel essential to the game-day ritual. 

Objectives were clear: 

  • Reassert Lay’s as the must-have match snack
  • Increase relevance around the Champions League
  • Spark social buzz driven by fans, not advertising
  • Shift behaviour by bringing Lay’s into real viewing moments 

THE IDEA

To prove that football without Lay’s isn’t complete, we created the Lay’s Bar Crawl – a live, social-first experience starring some of the biggest names in football.

During a pregame broadcast, Thierry Henry and Alexia Putellas walked off set live in search of a bar with Lay’s to watch the match with fans. If the bar stocked Lay’s, they stayed. If not, they left. Their creator-style journey streamed across YouTube, Instagram, and X, designed for real-time reactions and fan participation. 

Soon after, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez took the Crawl to Miami, turning the idea into a global format. Lo-fi filming, short-form edits, and meme-ready moments encouraged fans to create their own versions, making Lay’s a cultural symbol of being “match ready”.

THE IMPACT

The Lay’s Bar Crawl became one of the most talked-about football snack activations of the year, driving culture, behaviour, and business impact.

Key results; 

  • 18M+ views in 24 hours 
  • 3.7B PR impressions 
  • 250M+ social interactions 
  • +32M Lay’s bags sold per UCL match day 
  • #1 most engaging UCL sponsor on social 
  • Format extended to new markets, including a UK version with Leah Williamson and Lauren James 

By turning a simple truth into a fan movement, Lay’s proved what’s possible when a brand leads with creativity, cultural relevance, and the power of shared rituals.