- Frito-Lay unveiled a campaign for its Flamin’ Hot line of spicy chips that riffs on romantic affairs and features a branded phone giveaway, according to a press release.
- The marketer has partnered with Gabby Windey, of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” fame, to hawk the Flamin’ Hot Burner Phone. The flip phone has a custom design and 12 months of free cell service, together with Cheetos’ Chester Cheetah on speed dial.
- As a part of the combination, the mascot grants consumers a “hall pass” and can place a delivery for Flamin’ Hot products from other brands under Frito-Lay. The effort is targeted at school students who’re entering cuffing season, a well-liked period for dating.
Frito-Lay continues to extend the favored Flamin’ Hot brand beyond its origins under the Cheetos banner with “Cheat on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.” The campaign has an edgy concept playing on the thought of pursuing an affair, complete with a burner phone for communicating with “sidechips,” a pun on “side chick,” or a girl that somebody sees on the side. Chester Cheetah can also be giving fans a hall pass, one other slang term that refers to when an individual gives their romantic partner permission to sleep with another person, normally a star outside of realistic reach.
Frito-Lay is boosting awareness for other brands that sell Flamin’ Hot variants but usually are not as closely related to the moniker denoting a spicier chip, equivalent to Doritos, Lay’s, Fritos and Funyuns. Frito-Lay parent PepsiCo made Flamin’ Hot a standalone brand in March, looking to capitalize on $3 billion in retail sales momentum for the road. The move included introducing latest packaging that more clearly distinguishes a Flamin’ Hot offering, with an emphasis on fiery chips against a black color scheme.
“While we love how lots of our fans are in a committed relationship with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the Flamin’ Hot portfolio is overflowing with spicy snacks,” said Tina Mahal, vp of promoting at PepsiCo Foods North America, in a press statement. “By offering quite a few fiery options, Flamin’ Hot hopes to encourage its fans to be daring and explore every way possible to turn up the warmth.”
“Cheat on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” is an element of Frito-Lay’s marketing to Gen Z, a cohort that has shown a powerful preference for spicy foods and snacking. The group is within the thick of the back-to-school season, and with that, cuffing season, when young people search out short-term relationships.
Gen Z has also led a surge in nostalgic marketing for the 2000s, which helps explain why the campaign encompasses a flip phone. Frito-Lay has enlisted Windey, a TV personality and podcast host, on giveaways of the device that may run on Instagram and thru FlaminHotUniversity.com through Nov. 30. Curious fans can take a Sidechip Quiz on FlaminHotUniversity.com and browse dating profiles of various chips they might want to check out.
Frito-Lay last 12 months launched Flamin’ Hot University to function a centralized hub for content, merchandise and more dedicated to the brand with a cult-like following that recently inspired a feature film.
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