Free The Fun with Tostitos Tortilla Chips

This article, Ingrid Hoffmann Invites Fans to "Free The Fun" with Tostitos, was written just 3 days ago about an upcoming promotion linking the Food Network and Tostitos tortilla chips.  This promotion that will run nationally February to December of this year marks the first time the Food Network has utilized one of their "talk show chefs" to promote a fun, exuberant brand and campaign such as the Tostitos "Free The Fun" campaign.  Ingrid Hoffmann is the Food Network star in question and she has a new show on this channel, Simply Delicioso, and while having another show on the Spanish speaking network Galavision/Univision for the past 4 seasons.  She is known for creating simple, fun recipes and adding a Latin twist.  Teaming up with Tostitos will give consumers the opportunity to find new recipes and clever ways to integrate tortilla chips into dishes and when entertaining.  

This promotion for both the Food Network and Tostitos is also a contest in which one person will win a cameo on Ingrid's show, a tour of the studio, and a trip to Miami.  On top of that Tostitos is having another contest during the summer months where "budding chefs" can submit recipes that include Tostitos brand chips and then website visitors will vote on which recipe is the most creative and fun.  The winner of this contest will get their recipe made on-air by Ingrid Hoffmann and get a Food Network studio tour as well as a trip to New York.  This promotion is in contingency with the Frito-Lay Fiesta Bowl and the contest is not in effect yet so there is not a lot of information about it on the website, but there are recipes and an interactive page featuring the San Francisco Dons football team because they will be featured during the Fiesta Bowl half time program.  Another aspect of this article I really enjoyed was that there is a lot of contact information and links sending you to all the affiliated sites, and Jared Dougherty, a Frito-Lay representative, even gave his own contact information.  This article made it very easy to receive information elsewhere about the big names involved.

This creative campaign was developed by Element 79, which an advertising agency from Chicago.  This is an interesting coincidence because an Ithaca College alum actually works for Element 79 as a creative director I think and he came into my advertising class last semester and was talking about the business and his experience.  Element 79 is a relatively young agency and strives itself on being hip, cool, and clever.  I also remember him saying that he helped to create a Frito-Lay commercial for the Fiesta Bowl, but couldn't show it to us because of legalities.  So I think that for Tostitos and Frito Lay having Element 79 creating their campaign is a strong position because the brand wants to be seen as hip, cool, and a lot of fun and my impression is that so does the agency.  This is a good match and I get the feeling the promotion will be a good one and attract a lot of attention and consumers.

Another reason why I think this will be a successful promotion is because the Food Network seems to be raising in popularity lately.  They have come out with a lot of new shows with personable and knowledgeable hosts, and Rachel Ray's popularity is huge right now and that is where she has her "30 Minute Meals" show.  Also many of their chefs have cookbooks out there with the Food Network logo attached.  I also think that many younger people in their mid twenties are tuning in, which is part of Tositios audience, because they are getting married or having their own places and want to know how to cook.  I know in my own family my 3 older sisters all tune in and copy down recipes to try to make at home, and then can come up with their own variations.  They also have their favorite hosts like Giada, Rachel Ray, and Ingrid Hoffmann.  So I definitely foresee this promotion doing very well for both the Food Network and Tostitos.