May 18, 2011
PLANO, Texas, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheetos, the most mischievous and playful snack brand in the world and a leading brand from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, is on a mission to reward the best of the best when it comes to goofing off. The brand today unveiled the Cheetos Billion Minute Break, a first-of-its-kind, internet-wide experience where consumers can compete to become the greatest break-taker alive and the winner of the ultimate Cheetos reward – a larger-than-life portrait of themselves made entirely of Cheetos snacks. Every minute spent goofing off online helps consumers earn greater goof-off status and valuable prizes, and helps Cheetos achieve its ultimate goal – a collective one billion minutes of time spent goofing off by its fans.
The Cheetos Billion Minute Break was created to help American workers, who already work harder and relax less than ever before, realize the benefits that come from taking a much-needed break. In fact, research shows workers stand to gain a nine percent increase in overall productivity just by spending a few minutes of their overly stressful days goofing off and surfing the Web.
"At Cheetos we believe it pays to take a break, so we wanted to help our fans find ways to lighten up and have some fun," said Tony Matta, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay. "It's no surprise that people have been sneaking in time to goof off for years, but few realized it could actually be good for them. With the Cheetos Billion Minute Break we are rewarding people for something they are already doing, offering exciting, one-of-a-kind prizes for exemplary break-taking achievements."
The Cheetos Billion Minute Break was developed in partnership with consumer internet company Meebo, and made possible by the launch of Meebo's latest addition to its web check-in system, called Quests. Quests reward users as they travel across the Web and discover new sites. The Cheetos Billion Minute Break is among the first Meebo Quests to launch.
"Through Meebo Quests and our built-in web check-in system, we're rewarding consumers while they visit websites with content that they care about," said Carter Brokaw, Meebo Chief Revenue Officer. "Programs like the Cheetos Billion Minute Break are making it easier and more fun for people to connect with the Cheetos brand while rewarding them for them for browsing the Web in new and clever ways."
To participate in the Cheetos Billion Minute Break, consumers need to visit www.cheetos.com where they will be directed to register and download the Meebo MiniBar browser extension. From there, they simply goof off by surfing the Internet and enjoy a wide range of popular entertainment, humor, sports and goof-off sites. The Meebo MiniBar follows users wherever they go online, enabling them to check in, share content and track the amount of time spent at the 100 goof-off worthy sites included in the promotion.
As minutes spent goofing off add-up, rewards pile-on, giving users the chance to achieve rankings, real-world trophies and up to 20 different badges for proving their superiority at taking a break. The best break-takers will receive the Cheetos Billion Minute Break grand prize – a 4 ft. by 6 ft. portrait of themselves made entirely out of Cheetos snacks, similar to the wildly popular portraits that have only previously immortalized high-profile daytime and late-night talk show hosts. For more information and official rules, visit www.cheetos.com.
About Cheetos
Cheetos is one of the billion-dollar brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Cheetos by visiting www.cheetos.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
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About Meebo
Meebo helps you discover and communicate the things you care about the most by integrating all social networks and communications channels into a single, simple-to-use solution, and enabling users to easily share content and communicate in real time with the people who matter to them. Meebo connects people to their friends on the numerous websites that have installed the Meebo Bar, through mobile devices and via Meebo Messenger. It is a privately held company and was founded in 2005. For more information, visit meebo.com.
SOURCE Frito-Lay
