Campaign builds on Frito-Lay history of reimagining music, this time celebrating Salt-N- Pepa’s 35-year-old groundbreaking anthem “Push It”.
Flamin’ Hot® is a famous flavor, but also a fiery attitude. At a time when people are seeking moments of defiance of the everyday, Frito-Lay is showing fans what the world would look like with a little more heat with “Unleash Your Flamin’ Hot.” Kicking off the campaign is the first-ever Flamin’ Hot® Super Bowl spot, featuring both Doritos® and Cheetos® and starring the iconic voices of GRAMMY Award-winning musician and official reigning queen of hot, Megan Thee Stallion, and GRAMMY-nominated and multi-platinum musical artist/songwriter, Charlie Puth.
For weeks, fans have speculated what Frito-Lay has up their Cheetle-dusted sleeve after the release of three teaser videos, dropping hints about the commercial and depicting the stars as they prepare for their roles. In the full commercial, released today, the creator of “Hot Girl Summer” transforms into a fiery songbird and is joined by an unlikely cast of animal characters, including a beatboxing fox voiced by Puth. These characters are awakened by their first tastes of new Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch and fan-favorite Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Crunchy, all to the tune of the epic ’80s anthem “Push It” from iconic rap group Salt-N-Pepa.
“I bring heat to everything I do, so it only made sense to partner with Flamin’ Hot on this campaign,” Megan Thee Stallion said. “Filming this Super Bowl spot and paying homage to Salt-N-Pepa was an incredible experience and I can’t wait for my Hotties to check it out.”
“To be a part of the ‘Flamin Hot’ Super Bowl spot is so cool and a truly great experience,” says Puth. “I was excited to put my musical skills to use and bring beatboxing to this character in such a fun way.”
Flamin’ Hot is On Fire
Spicy salty snacks have spiked in popularity in recent years with the category growing more than 12 percent in the last four years. And the fandom with Flamin’ Hot is unparalleled, with nearly 800,000 tweets about Cheetos Flamin’ Hot alone in just one year.
Frito-Lay continues to deliver on the demand for Flamin’ Hot snacks by adding to its lineup, including the newest innovation: Doritos® Flamin’ Hot® Cool Ranch®. The new snack combines the classic flavor of Cool Ranch with the intense heat of Flamin’ Hot. The product is now available nationwide in 9.25oz bags for $4.79 and 2.75oz bags for $2.19.
Today, Frito-Lay also launched the Flamin’ Hot Hub, a site that offers fans Flamin’ Hot recipes, details on the full Flamin’ Hot portfolio, along with content from the Super Bowl LVI campaign. Fans can also subscribe to receive emails with exclusive news from Flamin’ Hot, including new products, partnerships and merch.
“We’ve been so inspired by how fans have embraced Flamin’ Hot,” said Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and CMO at Frito-Lay North America. “The Super Bowl provides the perfect stage to showcase the Flamin’ Hot attitude, and we are thrilled to partner with such exceptional musical talent to bring it to life. Music has a way of bringing joy, connecting us and delivering a story in such a unique way; so reimagining ‘Push It’ with the help of Megan and Charlie will really allow our fans to unleash their Flamin’ Hot.”
Enlisting Fans to Unleash Their Flamin’ Hot on Super Bowl Sunday
To continue spreading the spicy spirit, Frito-Lay is inviting fans to “Unleash Your Flamin’ Hot” through digital engagements on Super Bowl Sunday.
Cheetos and Doritos are calling on fans to choose which commercials are the most fire, and which don’t bring the heat. Simply use the fire emoji (from 🔥 to 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥) and #FlaminHot #Entry on Twitter to rate commercials during the game for your chance to win $500. The brands will give away over one hundred cash prizes to lucky fans who share their fire rating. Visit @ChesterCheetah and @Doritos on Twitter to learn more and here for rules.
Flamin’ Hot will also drop an exclusive branded effect on Tik Tok, encouraging people to unleash their Flamin’ Hot and have a mic drop moment. With the help of Charlie Puth and other Tik Tok creators, Cheetos and Doritos will add a little sizzle to Tik Tok on gameday, and fans might even get a shoutout from Charlie himself. Visit @Cheetos and @Doritos on Tik Tok to learn more.
Frito-Lay’s Super Bowl Take-Over
In addition to Flamin’ Hot, Frito-Lay has a second spot during the Super Bowl from Lay’s®, the brand’s first gameday spot in 17 years. So far, Lay’s has released two teasers (here and here).
And to celebrate the excitement leading up to The Big Game, Frito-Lay and PepsiCo Beverages teamed up for a joint NFL Playoff campaign, Road to Super Bowl. The commercial features the breadth of the food and beverage portfolio and aims to excite fans gearing up for Super Bowl LVI with the help of five beloved Super Bowl Champions.
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).
About PepsiCo
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 $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lays, 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 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.
