ADC Awards
The ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world. Now in its incredible 102nd year, these awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Live Experiences / Placemaking
Annual ID
ADC102_EXP019M
About the Work
Cheetos lovers know all about getting their fingertips a little — okay, a lot — messy.
Yet, just 1.4% of Canadians knew the official term for the iconic orange dust on their fingertips:
Cheetle. Some love it, some less so, but those orange fingertips are what make Cheetos, well,
Cheetos.
With the brand’s top of mind awareness stagnating, we wanted to turn what people wash off into
a point of pride for both the snack and its passionate core.
Fun fact: Alberta, Canada has a particular penchant for oversized food landmarks. When we
discovered Cheadle, a tiny Albertan hamlet of 83, we knew what we had to do: build a 17-foot
statue of a hand holding a Cheetos Puffs snack, its Cheetle-covered fingertips proudly on
display.
We erected the statue with no fanfare. No pre-roll or social ads. We grabbed a bag of Cheetos,
sat back, and waited.
What started as a few accidental drivebys quickly turned into pilgrimages of thousands daily,
many traveling across Canada for a selfie with the statue.
In no time, top-tier media took what began as a regional story across Canada, then North
America… then the globe. Tweets, ‘grams and Tik Toks filled feeds. Memes from brands
capitalized on our spotlight. It was added to Cheadle’s Wikipedia page, Don Cheadle’s
Wikipedia profile pic, and designated a “historical landmark” on Google Maps.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
PR / Marketing Agency
Citizen Relations / Toronto
Production Company
Frankie / Toronto
Art Director
Shirley Xu Wang
Copywriter
Marly Dichter
Chief Creative Officer
Josh Budd
Director
Emily Walker
Executive Producer
David Lembke
Account executive
Katie Haller
Account Manager
Niki Javdan
Fabricator
F&D Scene Changes / Calgary
Research Analyst
Shamshir Malik
Sr. Account Manager
Alexandrea Smith
SVP, Strategy
Lindsay Page
Vice President
Alexandra Green
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