Walkers plans football snack to cash in on next year’s World Cup

Walkers is set to launch a football-themed snack to capitalise on next year’s FIFA World Cup.

The product, which will be called Walkers Footballs, is a bacon-flavoured puff similar to Golden Wonder’s Wotsits. The launch will be backed by an ad spend of about £2m, including television advertising created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO.

For every packet sold of the snack, which should be on the shelves early next year, 1p will go towards a fund for school sports equipment.

Walkers has a long association with football. The company first became involved in the sport in 1978, when it sponsored the England Under-16 squad. Since then it has become a full sponsor of the Football Association and is the official snack provider of the England team.

Former England striker Gary Lineker has starred in a long running campaign and has become a brand icon for its crisps. In the past, Walkers has also temporarily rebranded its salt and vinegar crisps as Salt’n’Lineker and its cheese and onion flavour Cheese and Owen after England striker Michael Owen.

Last week, the Consumer Association’s magazine Which? slammed the Free Books for Schools promotion run by Walkers Crisps and News International, which offered schools the chance to collect tokens from News International newspapers and crisp packets. The watchdog said the promotion gave only “modest” returns and encouraged unhealthy eating (MW December 6).