RUFFLES® UNITES STAR-STUDDED ROSTER OF CHIP DEAL™ ATHLETES TO ENCOURAGE CHIP LOVERS TO “CHOOSE THE FLAVOR THAT SPEAKS TO YOU” AHEAD OF NBA ALL-STAR 2023

NBA legend Charles Barkley joins exclusive roster of Ruffles® Chip Deal™ Athletes – LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and A’ja Wilson – in a new campaign and new Ruffles flavor

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Heading into NBA All-Star 2023, Ruffles®, the Official Chip of the NBA and WNBA, is bringing together innovative flavors, big personalities and even bigger swagger in a new TV commercial starring NBA legend Charles Barkley and has unveiled the hoops icon as its honorary “Chip Deal Athlete” – joining current Chip Deal Athletes LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and A’ja Wilson, who are also featured in the campaign.

To commemorate his honorary Chip Deal, Barkley – a legendary personality who certainly has his own flavor – requested Ruffles create a one-time only release of his favorite culinary flavor: Hot Dogs. Ruffles® Hot Dog-flavored potato chips will drop in highly limited quantities during NBA All-Star Weekend.

“Just like the athletes and celebrities playing during NBA All-Star 2023, Ruffles’ Chip Deal Athletes are hand-selected based on their skill, the flavor they bring to the table and their undeniable swagger,” said Barkley. “I’m thrilled to join this all-star roster and Chip Deal dynasty to bring my personal flavor and style to the brand.”

The commercial, which will premiere during NBA All-Star 2023, depicts Barkley selecting a Ruffles flavor at a vending machine as James, Tatum and Wilson each come to life on their own Ruffles chip bags and “full-court press” him to choose their respective flavor.

“The launch of our new commercial, Charles’s Chip Deal and our hot dog-flavored Ruffles were all designed with the goal of bringing hoops culture to our fans in an innovative way,” said Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “Ruffles is all about celebrating everyone’s individual style and flavor, and that’s exactly what we’re doing through this campaign.”

This weekend, Ruffles is transforming a local Salt Lake City fan-favorite hot dog restaurant J.Dawgs into “Bark.Dawgs.” Fans can stop by on Saturday, February 18 from 1-4 p.m. to enjoy Ruffles-inspired menu items, see special Chip Deal Athlete guests, secure exclusive Ruffles x Charles Barkley swag, play on custom video game stations and listen to live music from a DJ booth. A select number of fans who make it in line first will even get to taste test Ruffles Hot Dog flavor.

Ruffles returns for its second year as the title partner of the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. TV and film stars, musicians and professional athletes including Simu Liu, 21 Savage, Janelle Monae, Cordae, Hasan Minhaj, Albert Pujols, DK Metcalf and Arike Ogunbowale will take to the court led by team captains Ryan Smith and Dwayne Wade, as well as head coaches Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alex Bregman.

Adding to the hype, the Ruffles 4-point Ridge Line, a 4-point line resembling the ridges in Ruffles potato chips, is back to support a good cause. For every shot made from behind the line, Ruffles will donate $4,000 to support 5 for the Fight, a philanthropic organization and official partner of the Utah Jazz and owner Ryan Smith that crowdfunds cancer research.

And, for the first time ever, Ruffles and the NBA are introducing Ruffles Crunch Time – a unique in-game boost that each team captain can activate once per half – causing every shot made to be worth double the points and every 4-point Ridge Line shot to convert to double the charitable contribution.

The 2023 Ruffles® NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air exclusively on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, February 17 from the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

Fans can follow Ruffles on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to keep up with everything the brand has in store all NBA All-Star Weekend long.

Ruffles is one of many Frito-Lay North America brands – the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.

Frito-Lay North America is the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay’s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, Cheetos snacks, Stacy’s pita chips, PopCorners popped-corn snack, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on Twitter (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. 

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com. 

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America; PepsiCo