Cheetos Brand Commissions Presidential
Portraits To Determine America's Next "Big Cheese"
PLANO, Texas,
Oct. 3, 2012
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, Chester Cheetah, the iconic spokescat for the
most playful snack in the world and a leading brand from PepsiCo's
Frito-Lay division, unveiled a new electoral polling model with the
unveiling of 3 feet by 4 feet one-of-a-kind Cheetos portraits of the
Democratic and Republican presidential nominees – President
Barack Obama and former Gov.
Mitt Romney.
Debuting on Facebook today, the portraits – made entirely of
more
than 2,000 individual Cheetos cheese snacks – will serve as a leading
indicator regarding which "big cheese" the country will elect this
fall. For two weeks, fans can vote in Chester's sure-fire electoral
poll for their favorite cheesy portrait – or candidate – for a chance
to win these official portraits commemorating each political party's
head cheese.
Chester Cheetah tapped renowned artist,
Jason
Baalman,
to create the cheesy interpretations of both candidates based on recent
Facebook profile images. It took a combined 100 hours of work sorting
and gluing each individual Cheetos snack into place for two truly
unique portraits.
Baalman is no stranger to Cheetos as a medium, having
previously immortalized Conan O'Brien,
Rachael
Ray
and most recently, CeeLo Green in the orange snack. Using thousands of
Cheetos snacks and a blank canvas, his art has been inserted into the
pop-culture conversation as he depicts some of
Hollywood's most notable faces.
"During the presidential campaign season, Americans constantly
turn
to the polls to find out how their favorite candidate is stacking up
along the way," said Ram Krishnan, vice president of marketing,
Frito-Lay North America.
"We decided to get in on the action by providing our fans with a truly
cheesy way to add to the polling data. We know our fans are just as
passionate about Cheetos as they are about America, so we can't wait to
see who they'd pick as the next Commander in Cheese."
Starting today at
11:00 a.m. CT
fans are invited to visit
www.facebook.com/Cheetos to vote for their
favorite candidate's likeness through
11:00
a.m. CT on
Tuesday, October 16.
The results of this entirely un-scientific poll will be revealed just
in time to help undecided voters during the presidential debates.
Cheetos snacks offer a way for families and friends to add a
playful
twist to their daily routine. The popular snacks are available in 17
varieties and 12 different flavors, including its newest addition —
Cheetos Crunchy Salsa con Queso Cheese flavored snacks which hit store
shelves earlier this year and are available in a 9.25-oz. package for a
suggested retail price of
$3.49.
About Cheetos
Cheetos is one of the billion-dollar brands that
makes up
Frito-Lay North America, the
$13 billion convenient foods business unit of
PepsiCo (NYSE:
PEP), which is headquartered in
Purchase, NY. Learn more about Cheetos by
visiting
www.cheetos.com
or
www.facebook.com/cheetos.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net
revenues
of more than
$65 billion and a product
portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than
$1 billion
each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana,
Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods
and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are
united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a
healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means
a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment
Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of
foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to
minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water
and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our
associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities
where we operate. For more information, please visit
www.pepsico.com.