Frito-Lay this morning released its anticipated Super Bowl ad starring Megan Thee Stallion and Charlie Puth, appearing as voices for jungle animals awakened by the taste of spicy snacks.
The 60-second ad is the first Big Game spot from the PepsiCo snack giant to include both the Cheetos and Doritos brands, which united under “Flamin’ Hot” varieties, including the newly released Doritos Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch.
The ad from agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners begins when bags of the snacks fall from the backpack of a birdwatcher perched on a jungle tree limb. A variety of creatures including a sloth, deer, bear, fox, and crocodile munch on the fallen snacks and their reactions—sharp inhales, “oohs” and “ahhs”—combine to create the backbeat of Salt-N-Pepa’s 1980s dance-floor hit, “Push It.” Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion plays a songbird emerging from the mouth of a crocodile. The fox’s voice is provided by Charlie Puth, the Grammy-nominated singer known for his beatboxing skills.
Get the latest Ad Age Super Bowl 2022 news here.
The stars don’t appear as themselves in the ads but made appearances in a series of teaser ads previously released by the brand, showing them apparently uneasy with the prospect that they would be co-starring with hungry animals. A spokeswoman said it was still unclear when during the Super Bowl broadcast the ad would run.
The ad comes as spicy salty snacks have spiked in popularity in recent years, with the category growing by more than 12% over the last four years, said Frito-Lay, which separately this week launched a campaign with NBA star Lebron James to promote its Ruffles Flamin’ Hot variety. Cheetos Flamin’ Hot has found success in social channels with more than 800,000 Tweet mentions over the last year.
Frito-Lay later this week is launching what it calls its Flamin Hot hub, a website offering recipes, merchandise, and the opportunity for fans to subscribe to news and promotions around the brands. It is also encouraging fans to spread the message on social media by inviting them to rate other Super Bowl ads during the game by using the “fire” emoji.
“We’ve been so inspired by how fans have embraced Flamin’ Hot,” Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and CMO at Frito-Lay North America, said in a release. “The Super Bowl provides the perfect stage to showcase the Flamin’ Hot flavor and attitude, and we are thrilled to partner with such exceptional musical talent to bring it to life. Music has a way of bringing joy, connecting us and delivering a story in such a unique way; so reimagining ‘Push It’ with the help of Megan and Charlie will really allow our fans to unleash their Flamin’ Hot.”
“I bring heat to everything I do, so it only made sense to partner with Flamin’ Hot on this campaign,” Megan Thee Stallion added. “Filming this Super Bowl spot and paying homage to Salt-N-Pepa was an incredible experience and I can't wait for my Hotties to check it out."
