food

Wise Potato Chips Go For World 'Crunch' Record

Wise potato chips/Mets Wise Potato Chips and baseball fans will go for an official Guinness World Record for "most potato chips ever crunched at once" during a game tonight between the New York Mets and the Cincinnati Reds.

All fans entering the Mets' new Citi Field ballpark for the 7:10 p.m. game will be handed a small bag of Wise chips, compliments of Wise and the Mets, bearing a sticker asking them not to open the bags until after the second inning.

After the Reds bat in the second inning (during a commercial break in the TV broadcast), fans will be instructed to open their packages and, when given the word, take a loud bite out of a chip.

Representatives of Guinness World Records will be on hand to record the occasion. If all criteria are met, Guinness will shortly thereafter certify that a world's record has been set.

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"As New York's favorite snack food, it's only natural for us to support one of New York's favorite teams" and give Mets fans, renowned for being vocal, a unique opportunity to add to "a loud history," said Wise VP, brand marketing Jolie Weber in announcing the promotion.

The "Big City Crunch" has been being promoted since May 18 via New York area outdoor (including bus wraps) and radio advertising featuring Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, plus promotional messaging on the Mets TV network and "street ambassadors" handing out chip samples and promotional pieces. PR has resulted in additional media exposure, including a "mini crunch-off" during local Channel 11's morning show on the day of the game, reports Barry Bluestein, managing partner and COO of Source Communications.

Source, Wise Foods, Inc.'s sports marketing agency, negotiated a multi-year agreement to make the company's chips and Cheez Doodles official snacks of the Mets, and created the Big City Crunch event. The snacks also have a season-long Citi Field presence, including outfield and LED ads.

A day prior to the game, it was close to a sellout -- which would, in theory, translate to about 42,000 fans simultaneously crunching on a Wise chip at the appointed moment.

Source is confident that the ambitious stunt will deliver on its mission of providing high visibility for the Wise brands and the Mets sponsorship on a modest (low six-figure) budget and taking the snacks' sales to new levels, says Bluestein. He notes that the promotion has generated big buzz within the brands' snack food distribution community, as well as among New York-area consumers.

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