Cheetos and mac 'n' cheese: two American classics coming
together to make an unbeatable meal, slated to be on shelves as of last week in
a Walmart near you.
FastCompany.com has released which three flavors will
be available: Bold & Cheesy, Flamin' Hot, and Cheesy Jalapeño.
For years, home chefs have been using their creativity by
incorporating Cheetos into their dishes, and Rachel Ferdinando, senior VP and
chief marketing officer at Frito-Lay North America, says, "They've taken our
products and made some incredible mashup recipe dishes, and mac and cheese is
one we've seen be very popular. We even created marketing campaigns around this
organic behavior. We had the Spotted Cheetah restaurant, followed that up with
the Flamin' Hot Spot, so this has been in the DNA of the
brand."
Although the brand recently released Cheetos Popcorn earlier this year, the mac 'n' cheese release is
different because the fans are what really made this happen.
"The process
was a bit different. We did virtual co-creation with key influencers, who were
naturally experimenting with Cheetos in their food," says Kristin Kroepfl, vice
president and chief marketing officer for Quaker Foods North America. "We
wanted to hear what they had to say, then design the execution based on that."
The release
of the mac 'n' cheese is supposed to be parallel with the high demand for the
product. Ferdinando says that in April, the brand saw online searches for
Cheetos recipes jump 192 percent.
The potential
of success will rely on the loyal fans who give them new ideas and support due
to a love of the brand.
