The heart of the Cheetos fanbase, Latinos, don’t just love the product; they also use it as an outlet for self-expression. From food mashups to fashion tutorials, they have infused the brand with a cultural flair that has elevated Cheetos badge value to new heights in U.S. pop culture.

But despite this brand love, Cheetos was experiencing a loss of household penetration with this audience at a faster rate than GenPop.

To reverse the trend, Cheetos set out to increase top-of-mind awareness and drive overall brand appeal among Latinos. The solution? A campaign to amplify the mark Latinos are leaving on everything they touch and establish Cheetos as the champion of their creative energy. Cheetos celebrates all forms of self-expression, so who better to encourage Latinos to keep rewriting the rules?

In July 2021, we took Deja tu Huella to the next level with two exciting experiences. First, a limited edition capsule collection dubbed the Cheetos x Bad Bunny collection by adidas, which joined 3 powerhouse brands in a culture breaking partnership. We created a cheetah-spot-covered track suit and two jerseys, combining Bad Bunny’s signature style and Chester’s orange-themed “Cheetos Look.”

To heighten desirability and exclusivity through the power of fashion "drop culture", the collection was available exclusively on the NTWRK platform. Fans who proved they were eating Cheetos using our innovative Cheetle® iD technology got priority access.

In addition, as part of the Deja tu Huella Estudiante Fund, we launched a TikTok Hashtag Challenge, asking students in the U.S. and Puerto Rico to show us how they leave their mark on their community for a chance for 10 students to each win $50K towards their education.

Cheetos needed a powerful, insightful message to capture the attention and hearts of Latinos. Deja tu Huella (Leave Your Mark), became our Flamin’ Hot® rallying cry and ladders back into the Cheetos purpose of empowering those who leave their mark. It also makes clear that Cheetos supports Latinos while encouraging their self-expression.

By hacking into culture in new and unique ways that only Cheetos can and driving relevance with consumers through fashion, we ensured that all program amplification tied back to our brand purpose: Liberate Playful Mischief.

Our partner, global music superstar Bad Bunny, brought the power of Deja tu Huella to life as a bold, unapologetic, Latin Trap and Reggaeton artist, fashion icon and activist. To ensure the message was heard, we strategically made the program available in both the U.S. and Bad Bunny’s native, Puerto Rico, to accurately reflect Latinos’ bilingual media consumption habits.

The collection was sold exclusively on NTWRK, modeled by Latin influencers in a fashion sizzle reel and in Cheetos’ first-ever fashion magazine, CHSTR. The magazine accompanied orders, while supplies last, and included a fragrance strip called “Cheeteau.”

Leading up to the drop, we built word-of-mouth by seeding premium kits to influencers and media, which included a custom Cheetos and Bad Bunny backpack, all collection items, CHSTR, and Cheetos product. At the same time, Bad Bunny posted a picture of the collection on his own Instagram activating his massive audience.

On launch day, fans could use Cheetle iD to get early access to the drop by scanning their Cheetos dust-covered fingertips to prove they had eaten Cheetos.

The campaign also launched the Deja tu Huella Estudiante Fund, a contest run on TikTok that rewarded $500,000 to Latin students for showing how they leave their mark on their communities.

The Deja tu Huella campaign was a huge success in reaching our target audience and building buzz around the brand in 2021. Over 558 earned media placements helped generate 3.93 billion impressions with 95% including 2 or more key messages. The collaboration and campaign was covered by Telemundo, GQ, Billboard, Yahoo News, Refinery 29, Spin, Paper, Hypebeast, and Nice Kicks.

At the same time, the campaign engaged Cheetos and Bad Bunny fans directly with over 103.5 million social impressions and 107 social placements from fans and influencers.

Cheetle iD had over 171K page views, and increased visitors 30%+. The first 100 Cheetle iD slots were filled within the first 43 minutes of launch.

Overall, Cheetos’ Hispanic HHP increased by +3ppts (+2 better than plan), accomplishing the brand’s primary goal of connecting with the Latin audience.