Team Canada may not have made it out of the group stage at the World Cup, but Frito-Lay was always banking on continued interest in the tournament, regardless of how far the team carried its momentum.

The company’s “Taste Of Soccer” campaign features Star Wars star John Boyega taking viewers on a journey through soccer history and fandom from 1800s England, to the first international match in 1872 to today, with bags of Lay’s and Doritos present in most of the shots. It also features highlights of Team Canada and its fans – some of whom are riding with two different flags on their cars, or swap out their jerseys during different games.

Jess Spaulding, CMO of Frito-Lay and Quaker North America, tells strategy the ad – part of the broader “Made for the Moment” soccer campaign – is a love letter to Canada’s unique relationship with the game. Like other countries, there is a measure of national pride, especially after the Canadian men’s national team’s performance on its way to qualifying for this year’s World Cup. But a combination of Canada’s diversity and the fact that Canada has only appeared in two World Cups means that many fans are used to rooting for other countries in international play, namely ones where they can trace their own roots.

“Our ‘Taste of Soccer’ commercial was created specifically for a Canadian audience, and through the footage you can see we’ve connected back to this concept of the home team and the ‘other home team’ – a unique characteristic of Canadian soccer fandom,” she says. “Cheering for multiple teams isn’t about having a back-up plan, it’s about the diversity of our country and how many Canadians hold multiple teams close to their heart.”

Soccer fans have been encouraged to share their own goal celebration moments on TikTok with the hashtag “#MadefortheMoment” for a chance to be featured in an extended cut of the commercial in the lead-up to the World Cup Finals.

Frito-Lay also launched an exclusive capsule collection created in collaboration with Bauer, displayed at an immersive experiential pop-up in Toronto. A new version of a Canada jersey was created by 13 artists from different provinces and backgrounds all working with the Bauer X design team. Inside the pop-up, the brand had a chip display featuring a variety of international flavours, along with various on-site interactive experiences including a DJ, soccer pitch, customization station for personalized embroidery.

The company also engaged Bell Media for what Spaulding calls a massive first-to-market disruptive radio and out-of-home campaign. Every time the Canadian men’s national team scored a goal, Astral’s digital out-of-home boards were interrupted with instant Frito Lay Canada creative in six key markets. Digital boards located in bars and restaurants also powered up in celebration mode, switching the creative within minutes of a goal – including at bars where other sports may have been shown.

“This was the first time the World Cup would be played in Q4 and that meant we’d be up against the high viewership of other sporting events during this time,” Spaulding says. “So our strategy was built to generate awareness and an important part of that was extending our reach into other sports properties.”

In addition, 17 Bell Media radio stations across the country simultaneously interrupted programming with “breaking news” and a Frito Lay Canada tag to announce a Canadian goal, with instantaneous supplementary support across the stations’ social media channels.

The next phase of “Made for the Moment” launched this week, with murals created by artists Carson Ting in Vancouver and Adrian Hayles in Toronto. Less specifically tied to the World Cup, the murals are meant to represent each city’s unique relationship with soccer.

Frito Lay Canada worked with Citizen Relations, OMD, Praxis, GSP, ShakerMaker and Mark IV for the “Made for the Moment” campaign.