This weekend, as the Super Bowl looms large, brand mascot Chester Cheetah is marrying people in his Cheetos Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip. Or at least, a digitized version of Chester appears to welcome bystanders into the “cheesy” pop-up chapel.
On Saturday, a real officiant legally married Frito-Lay employees. The brand’s CEO was the couple’s witness.
The kitschy chapel is part of a massive Frito-Lay activation fittingly named the Chip Strip. A Cheetos chapel wouldn’t make sense outside of Vegas, which is known for its drive-thru nuptials.
“You definitely hear of a lot of people getting married in Vegas. We thought [there is] no better person to mischievously help people renew vows [or] get married than Chester,” said Tina Mahal, svp of marketing at PepsiCo.
This year’s event is the biggest Super Bowl experience Frito-Lay has ever created. It rented out street space from the New York-New York Hotel & Casino to build Cheetos Chapel and create a publicly accessible space spanning at least a city block near the hotel’s Brooklyn Bridge.
The space has games and prizes that include a Toyota Tacoma. There’s also a padded Dinamita inflatable jousting ring. Frito-Lay is putting its Dinamita brand into the limelight this week and introduces viewers to new spokeswomen, Dina and Mita, in its Super Bowl spot.
To center the Chip Strip concept, Frito-Lay also wrapped the Luxor in a giant Doritos chip. On Saturday, those on the Strip could scan the Luxor wrap using Frito-Lay’s Triangle Tracker AR lens for a chance to win Super Bowl tickets.
walking into #SBLVIII with big chip energy 🔺
📸: @MaverickHeli pic.twitter.com/88Bd7l4czB— Doritos (@Doritos) February 9, 2024
“We wanted to make sure that we came in and we provided consumers with really great engagement opportunities—experiences that match the landscape that we were in—to match the bigness of Vegas,” said Mahal.
Win a Toyota on the Chip Strip
The brand’s Snackpot game on the Chip Strip includes a massive slot machine that passersby can play for a chance to win a Toyota Tacoma.
Toyota and Frito-Lay are official NFL partners, while Toyota’s presence at the Super Bowl revolved around its new 2024 Tacoma hybrid.
Building the space was a significant undertaking by the Frito-Lay team, given the entire thing came together in under a week.
Mahal described it as an “immersive brand experience” closely tied to the brand’s engagement with football and sports.
The key to achieving scale is its social strategy was standing out with consumers on the strip. “We didn’t necessarily start out with a conversion KPI,” Mahal said. “This was more about making sure that our brands resonate with this moment.”
The Chip Strip is open through Sunday.
Dining at Tost by Tostitos
Frito-Lay’s Tostitos brand had its own activation nearby.
The brand parted with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to take over a new local restaurant and transform it into a Tostitos-themed four-course dining experience.
The experience came with a chef’s table option that allowed some visitors to interact with the brand’s culinary experts. Thai corn fried shrimp and barbacoa arepas were on the menu, alongside other dishes made with Frito-Lay products. One fan won a dining experience with Cousins, who prepared and served their food.
“With the products that we have, we know that we can inspire people to think about the brand in a more culinary way,” Mahal said.
Frito-Lay parent company PepsiCo has three ads in the Super Bowl this year, spanning its Doritos Dinamita, Starry and Mountain Dew brands.
For the latest Super Bowl 58 advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2024 Ad Tracker and the rest of our stories here. And join us on the evening of Feb. 11 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials.
