March 3, 2022
Cheetos Hands-Free campaign featuring new TV commercial and consumer activation at SXSW playfully reveals that Cheetle might* be the inspiration behind hands-free technology.
Advances in technology have allowed people to do almost anything – driving, cleaning, emailing – completely hands free. These innovative technologies are particularly helpful for Cheetos® fans – the people who rock Cheetle®, the iconic orange dust, on their fingertips 24/7. While they once may have struggled to be productive while enjoying their favorite snack, they now can conquer the world with inventions like robotic vacuum cleaners, self-driving cars and facial recognition technology handling their everyday tasks. Could it be that the presence of this delicious, cheesy dust on fingertips is the very thing that inspired these hands-free innovations in the first place? This question is at the center of the new Cheetos Hands-Free campaign launching today, featuring a brand-new TV commercial and experiential activation.
In the TV commercial released this week and through other advertising such as billboards in major tech cities, fans are introduced to the theory that Cheetle was the inspiration behind hands-free technology. Turning muse into mischief, the brand is bringing this theory to life for fans by imagining what a world could look like in which they can live their best hands-free lives through a fully Hands-Free House debuting at SXSW® in Austin.
“The orange dust on Cheetos fans’ fingertips – Cheetle – is a badge of savory honor, but it’s also a tricky situation when swiping left on your phone or using the vacuum to clean up your evidence,” said Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “This campaign playfully dares our fans to ask the question – did Cheetle inspire hands-free technology? We’re excited to show fans all the ways they can live life completely hands-free when we open the doors to the Hands-Free House. After all, we aren’t afraid to claim: if it’s hands free… it’s a Cheetos thing.”
The Hands-Free House immerses guests into an innovative home that’s completely Cheetle-on-the-fingers-friendly, including tech-enabled entry, smudge-free remote controls and Alexa voice-controlled experiences like voice-activated appliances. Every room in the house was carefully designed to showcase how technology can be used to power everyday activities that normally require the use of your hands. After guests experience everything that the house has to offer, they can head to the backyard, where they can relax and enjoy the party, featuring Cheetos-inspired cuisine, a hands-free vending machine and more hands-free surprises. Fans can check out a teaser video of the Hands-Free House here.
The Hands-Free House will open its doors to the public from March 12 through March 15 at 1209 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702. To give fans nationwide a taste of this hands-free freedom, Cheetos is unlocking access to hundreds of tech giveaways. Starting March 12, fans can enter to win various hands-free devices by sharing their favorite tech on Twitter with #cheetoshandsfree and #entry. Rules can be found at www.cheetos.com/cheetoshandsfree.
Beginning March 28, fans can also head to www.amazon.com/CheetosHandsFreeHouse to explore a digital version of the Hands-Free House. Once “inside,” Cheetos lovers will be able to virtually explore each room of the home with a 360-view and find tips and tricks to create their own hands-free home so they can live their best hands-free lives.
*Obviously Cheetos isn’t taking credit for the incredible work of innovators who’ve created hands-free technology, but hey, even innovators enjoy Cheetos from time-to-time.
For more information, visit www.cheetos.com and @Cheetos on Instagram/Facebook and @ChesterCheetah on Twitter.
About Cheetos
Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $18 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.
About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $18 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay’s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, 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).
