Invisible Football Brings Everyone Together in Lay's Spot from Dark Horses

Adelphoi Music has worked once again with Lay’s on its latest campaign in support of the brand’s largest global platform – Men’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women’s football.

This global campaign highlights football’s universal ability to bring people together, centering the joy and camaraderie of seizing the moment with a spontaneous game of street football. The twist, an imaginary ball, captures the unifying creative power of collective imagination.

The film is full of fast cuts and dynamic action, so one of the primary concerns was an infectious beat and driving rhythm section that would drive the pacing of the picture, but the brand’s diverse and international appeal also demanded a recognisable, iconic sound. “We decided a re-record of a classic track could provide the fresh, but timeless, feel we were looking for,” says Adelphoi’s head of production, Jonathan Watts. “‘Billy Preston’s classic, Nothing From Nothing, provided the soulful feel we needed, dripping with funky swagger. Its lyrics drive the narrative of the film by linking with the visual of an imaginary football, and the creation of a game from nothing.”

The song was originally written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher and recorded by Billy Preston for his 1974 album The Kids & Me, hitting #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart that October. Preston is the only non-Beatle musician to be given a credit on a Beatles recording, and is among those sometimes known as the "Fifth Beatle”.

Jonathan continues: “We decided to rejuvenate its sound by re-recording the music in a way that captured the spirit and soul of the original recording and then collaborating with Rob Jager to remix the track in a contemporary style. We made the unconventional choice of recording vocals after remixing, working with a vocalist in L.A. to inject some raw US flavour, high in male vocal range but full of depth and power.”

The final cut revamps the soulful original with a hip hop groove and a contemporary R&B feel, to create an iconic modern sound that appeals to a global audience.

The commercial aired last week in the US and hits UK media this week and was created by Dark Horses, directed by Traktor and produced by Stink Films.