THE BRAND CHALLENGE

Launching a 100-year-old U.S. snack into one of the UK’s most competitive FMCG categories was never going to be easy. In August 2024, Cheez-It set out to crack the £4BN salty snacks market with ambitious Year 1 targets: £10M+ in sales, 7.7%+ household penetration, and a place among the nation’s most recognisable snack brands.

The challenge was formidable. Salty snacks is a category where 80% of new products fail to reach 3% penetration in their first year. It’s dominated by long-established favourites, with consumers who are fiercely brand-loyal and slow to change habits. HFSS restrictions were also tightening, limiting the scope for traditional promotional tactics.

Our target audience, “Spirited Chip Lovers” aged 25–44, are adventurous in flavour but predictable in purchase. Persuading them to switch from trusted favourites to a completely new name required overcoming deep-set buying behaviour. Research conducted pre-launch identified three key considerations:

·      The U.S. product format did not fully suit UK tastes, requiring adaptation in texture and flavour.

·      Cheese, while central to the brand, was already a crowded flavour territory – distinction would need to come from more than taste alone.

·      Habitual purchase patterns meant simply appearing on-shelf would not be enough; the brand would need to command attention and spark intrigue.

Against this backdrop, Cheez-It faced the task of entering a sceptical, brand-loyal market, overcoming regulatory constraints and ingrained shopper behaviour, and delivering standout in one of the toughest launch environments in FMCG.

OUR SOLUTION

To win in a habitual, brand-loyal category, Cheez-It needed to be experienced to be believed. Our roadshow strategy was designed to take the brand to the people – creating high-energy, high-impact encounters that would deliver a literal and memorable ‘hit’ of real cheese satisfaction.

We built the tour around our See It, Feel It, Crunch It framework, with live experience at its core:

See It

The Cheez-It DJ Jeep became our mobile brand beacon – a customised vehicle kitted out in striking red-and-yellow livery, with a built-in DJ booth pumping energy and drawing crowds. Its presence transformed everyday spaces – city squares, commuter hubs, festival fields – into unmissable Cheez-It zones.

Feel It

We turned sampling into a spectacle. At each stop, our team delivered personality-led product experiences: music, games, and crowd interaction, creating a fun, shareable moment that linked the taste of Cheez-It to positive energy. Branded zones featured bold visual identity and playful cues, giving passers-by multiple touchpoints to engage, snap, and share.

Crunch It

259,000 samples were distributed during the roadshow, alongside 210,000 money-off coupons to drive immediate retail conversion. Our presence at major events and high-footfall areas allowed us to target flavour-adventurous 25–44s in the right mindset – relaxed, curious, and primed to try something new.

The roadshow didn’t just introduce Cheez-It – it created genuine fans. Live engagement gave us instant feedback, invaluable for refining messaging and fuelling social content. Every interaction was designed to build emotional connection, turning first bites into repeat purchase.

By making Cheez-It a physical, energetic presence in everyday life, the roadshow cut through the noise, broke shopper habits, and fast-tracked brand love in one of FMCG’s toughest categories.

We flexed our roadshow kit across a blend of fixed site and guerrilla activations nationwide across 7 key cities, 1 x festival (Victorious) and 18 trade locations including Barcode 2024.

Cities included: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

RESULTS

Experiential impact

·      259,000 samples delivered across festivals, commuter hubs, and high-footfall city locations – directly into the hands of our flavour-adventurous 25–44 target.

·      210,000 money-off coupons distributed, driving immediate retail conversion.

Commercial and brand results

·      £22.2M in sales within Year 1 (vs. £10M target).

·      13.1% household penetration (vs. 7.7% target), placing Cheez-It in the top 20% of FMCG NPD launches in the past four years.

·      74% reach among 18–44-year-olds, and 70% of the total UK population.

·      33% repeat purchase rate – outperforming category leaders such as Doritos Chilli Heatwave and Walkers Sensations.

·      Over 13.8 million packs sold and 3.7 million UK shoppers recruited to the brand.

·      +17% uplift in consideration among audiences exposed to the campaign.

The roadshow didn’t just generate trial – it played a pivotal role in making Cheez-It the most valuable large-sharing snack launch in four years. With the brand now set to become a £40M player in Year 2, the experiential programme has laid a powerful foundation for long-term growth.