Poker Face, takes Mexico’s spicy competition where different brands fight to be perceived as the spiciest snack, to the next level. To build on our spicy credentials and elevate our main RTB, we didn’t just create a brand experience, we created a new sport. We invited poker pros to taste our Flamin’ Hot Snacks and try to keep their “poker face” avoiding any reaction to the extra spiciness. To take this further and connect with Gen Z, we took advantage of the boom of e-sports, new content formats and creators on streaming platforms, like Twitch.

Mexicans love spicy food. It’s an important part of is cultural heritage: their palate is trained to discover sensations through the mixture of ingredients. Therefore, spicy snacks are much more than “chips with an intense flavor”. They are a challenge to conquer. No matter how much they make us cry, or curse, we simply can’t stop eating them. The spicier, the better.

The experience of eating something really spicy is such, that Flamin’ Hot created its own framework to describe it: “The Spiciness Rollercoaster”. It is composed of three moments: intrigue, suffering, and enjoyment. To demonstrate that Xtra Flamin’ Hot has the highest level of spiciness in the category, our latest campaigns focused on the climax of the experience, the tensest moment: the suffering, showing insightful and authentic reactions.

Flamin' Hot is PepsiCo's spicy snacks platform, which has consolidated its positioning in a heavy competitive market, with three strong equity campaigns that elevated the product’s spicy and tasty credentials.

First, we showcased that the level of pungency in Mexico is measured in swear words, a typical reaction of the Mexican consumer. Then, we went after “The spice deniers”: those that claim that the snacks aren’t that spicy, but can’t physically hide the reaction when they eat them. Finally, we traveled to “La Chingada”, a small town in Mexico, to challenge the locals to taste our spicy snacks.

These campaigns showed excellent results in terms of affinity and engagement, so we decided to keep building the creative platform in this direction. The challenge consisted of creating a new and spicier brand experience to strengthen the affinity with younger Mexicans, while enhacing taste and spicy attributes to raise engagement and trial.

Inspired by the masters of composure (poker players and their immutable poker faces), we created the first spicy poker tournament. Poker Face by Flamin’ Hot. This idea drove our insight further and reinforced the brand’s RTB: it’s extra spicy power is impossible to hide. Even for the experts of disguise.

Gen Z are risk-takers who want to prove they can overcome any challenge. They're hungry for new experiences, flavors, and intense sensations. They like to see authentic reactions from content creators, live their competencies and experiences, so they’re a captive audience of platforms like Twitch and e-sports.

There is no reaction more authentic than that of someone who eats something very spicy. No matter how much they try to deny or hide it, physical reactions betray them.

Thus, to conquer the palate and attention of Gen Z, the strategy was based on:

• Exploring new touch points (Twitch and TikTok)

• Exploiting new passion points (e-sports and gaming)

• Using long-form formats (6 minutes of competition and 2 hours of live streaming)

• Using the right spoke persons (professional poker competitors and lifestyle and sports micro-influencers)

• Testing the spiciness of our product portfolio on other audiences through brand experience.

We created more than a brand experience, capitalizing on the rise of e-sports and poker as an emerging professional sport. We allied with key content creators to ensure wider reach and engagement. Kun Agüero, the #12 Spanish-speaking streamer with the most followers, World Series Poker participant, and recognized Ex Soccer Player, was a competitor and host of the event, amplifying the brand experience and encouraging others to replicate it.

We amplified the campaign on Meta, X, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok, through short videos, engaging with the community and positioning ourselves in the digital conversation. To raise engagement, we delivered product kits for consumers to replicate the challenge and invite others to do it, reinforcing trial. Poker Face was not just and event, but a movement that spread our spicy power in the digital world.

With only 3 days of call to see the Kun Agüero's competition, we achieved:

• 18.5M Reach

17M Organic Reach.

• 145M Impressions.

• 46M Streaming Views.

• 7.9M Interactions.

• 87% Positive Sentiment.

• 6,900 Comments from people showing their interest in watching the event and tagging friends and family to do so, asking for a second part of the competition, and curiosity to try Flamin' Hot snacks. 

• 1,693 Visits to the brand's social media profiles.

• 86% VCR (+11pp vs benchmark) 

• 0.56 CTR (+2x vs benchmark)

• 2hrs of Kun Streaming – the longest content we've had in the history of the brand.

• Getting +151 days of content viewed.

• 10hrs of people-generated content replicating the Poker Face challenge.

• +100 videos and posts talking about Poker Face.

• 100% Net Promoter Score (+57pp vs PepsiCo norm)