Lay’s soccer stunt with David Beckham and Thierry Henry scores for Slap Global

Lay’s turned live sports into a live advertising opportunity last year with its “Chip Cam” starring David Beckham and Thierry Henry. The marketing stunt recruited a stadium of about 80,000 soccer fans as extras for the mostly improvised commercial, during which the sports stars scoured the crowd for anyone willing to share their Lay’s chips. The moment, filmed at the 2023 UEFA Champions League final in Milan, was a risk for Slap Global. Beckham and Henry mostly ad-libbed their dialog from field level, where they were placed close to the media in attendance and shared a bag of chips. After Henry ate the last chip, Beckham called for anyone in the crowd to share their Lay’s. A “Chip Cam,” with image-recognition technology from Meta, was used to pinpoint fans holding up Lay’s iconography. Fans held up empty chip bags, a screenshot of a Lay’s bag and even a pizza until finally a father and daughter were found holding unopened Lay’s. The two were invited to watch the game with the soccer legends. The ad showed the continuing appeal of live sports as one of the most effective ways to reach mass audiences. It also was an example of how to leverage image-recognition software, a tool that brands are using more and more to analyze when their logos and products appear online and in the real world. Instead of just running a digital billboard, which Lay’s has plenty of as well, the brand sparked an interactive experience. Slap Global, based in New York, said the stunt generated 2.5 billion media impressions, with news outlets picking up the story. Subsequent video of the commercial garnered 150 million views. Most importantly, the event was followed by a 3% lift in global sales, according to Slap Global. The ad was part of a campaign called “No Lay’s. No Game.”

Lay’s soccer stunt with David Beckham and Thierry Henry scores for Slap Global

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