Cheez-It Invites Festival-Goers to "Seize the Cheese" with Edinburgh Fringe Takeover

Aug. 06, 2026

Cheez-It has launched a major experiential campaign at this year's Edinburgh Fringe, transforming the snack brand into the festival's Official Snack Partner through a city-wide activation designed to drive awareness, trial and cultural relevance. The push was developed in partnership with brand activation agency ZEAL.

The campaign builds on Cheez-It's earlier work with comedian Jason Manford and forms part of the brand's wider strategy to establish new snacking occasions in the UK. Having launched in the UK two years ago, Cheez-It is continuing to build brand awareness and expand the occasions in which consumers enjoy it, creating an opportunity to use culture and live experiences to drive discovery and trial.

ZEAL was tasked with leveraging Cheez-It's partnership with the Fringe to maximise visibility across both the festival and the city of Edinburgh, while continuing to build on the brand's distinctive, tongue-in-cheek personality. With more than 100 years of heritage in the US and a brand voice rooted in humour and irreverence, the campaign leans into the cheesiness and comedy that sit at the heart of both Cheez-It and the Fringe.

The creative challenge was to create something that felt genuinely ownable to Cheez-It and instantly understandable from a shopper perspective, while reinforcing the brand's personality and making the partnership feel authentic to the festival. That led to the campaign platform, "Seize the Cheese this Fringe", encouraging people to embrace the inherent cheesiness of comedy with the help of Cheez-It.

Running from 7-13 August, the activation has been designed to make Cheez-It unmissable across Edinburgh. Festival-goers will encounter the brand through a seven-day sampling programme spanning Edinburgh Waverley, The Mound and the Royal Mile, alongside a giant Cheez-It pack installation at Waverley station designed to greet visitors as they arrive in the city. The campaign also includes sponsorship of The List launch party, branded experiences across Fringe venues and a prominent presence in convenience stores throughout Edinburgh city centre.

An LED van will travel around the city, driving awareness of the partnership, encouraging footfall to the activation space and amplifying the campaign's centrepiece: the search for the Cheeziest Joke of the Fringe.

Performers were invited to submit their cheesiest joke, with a panel of judges selecting a shortlist of five finalists. Festival-goers can then vote for their favourite via QR codes displayed across the city, with the winning comedian receiving the "Cheeziest joke of the Fringe" trophy on 14 August.

The competition marks the first dedicated award of its kind, celebrating the playful, pun-filled humour that sits at the heart of both Cheez-It and the Fringe.

The activation has been developed in close partnership between ZEAL, Cheez-It and Edinburgh Fringe venues, with the collaboration designed to maximise visibility and ensure the brand remains front of mind throughout the festival.

Rui Frias, UK Senior Marketing Manager at Cheez-It, said:

"The Edinburgh Fringe gives us the perfect opportunity to bring Cheez-It's playful personality to life at scale. As we continue to build awareness and trial in the UK, we wanted to create something that felt authentically Cheez-It while tapping into the humour and energy that makes the Fringe so special. 'Seize the Cheese this Fringe' allows us to introduce more people to the brand in a way that is fun, memorable and impossible to miss."

 

Rachel Roberts, Managing Director at ZEAL, added:

"The challenge wasn't simply to sponsor the Fringe, but to create something people would actively engage with in one of the busiest cultural environments in the world. For a relatively new brand in the UK, the opportunity was to turn awareness into action by showing up in the moments that matter most to festival-goers. 'Seize the Cheese this Fringe' takes Cheez-It's distinctive personality and transforms it into experiences people can participate in, from sampling and live activations to the search for the festival's cheeziest joke. It's about creating emotional connections that move people from curiosity to trial."