Paqui sought to build engagement, awareness and purchase intent of their product portfolio by bringing a buzz-worthy content activation to life for the brand’s spicy hot #OneChipChallenge. To achieve this, the brand tapped Complex Networks’ food brand, First We Feast, to engage fans of its viral series “Hot Ones”—the show with hot questions and even hotter wings. The goal was to reach spice lovers in an authentically entertaining way without compromising the integrity of the product.
For the #OneChipChallenge campaign, Paqui and First We Feast engaged “Hot Ones” fans and spice enthusiasts with the launch of a fiery custom video featuring “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans and Grammy-nominated rapper Lil Yachty. The brands leveraged the duo’s existing relationship, as Lil Yachty was a previous guest on “Hot Ones” and notably revealed his hilarious intolerance for spice, to produce a remote version of the brand’s famous #OneChipChallenge. The program was designed to drive brand awareness and purchase intent to encourage fans to do their own #OneChipChallenge at home.
In the video concept, Sean Evans reflects on his first run with the #OneChipChallenge, referring to it as the “spiciest, craziest experience” he has ever had. The two also reminisce on Lil Yachty’s iconic “Hot Ones” experience, which was the first time Yachty ever tried hot sauce. After unboxing a few of Paqui’s ultra-hot snacks, they stumble upon a red coffin containing a single dark chip made with Carolina reapers and Sichuan peppercorns. For safety purposes, as the chips are dangerously spicy, the two put on gloves before taking a bite—and the hilarity ensues.
Leading up to the video launch, First We Feast also leveraged its massive social media presence to further amplify Paqui’s products. The brand utilized its in-house talent, Camera Guy Bill (of “Hot Ones” fame), to execute an on-camera unboxing of all five spiced chip flavors that lives on First We Feast’s social media channels. First We Feast also created interactive ‘Grab Your Flavor’ social posts to further amplify the flavors, shared the custom content on its TikTok account and used additional social distribution tactics to ensure mass distribution, reach and viewership.
Sean Evans and Lil Yachty’s #OneChipChallenge garnered 21.4 million media impressions, 9.5 million total video views across platforms and 4.1 million total fan engagements. These impressive metrics speak to the impact of targeting First We Feast’s highly-engaged community, where the audience was not only familiar with the talent on-screen, but were presented with a subject matter that resonated organically.
Paqui and First We Feast’s synergy throughout the partnership not only resulted in delivering entertainment for its consumers, but the brands also provided a moment of escapism during an unprecedented 2020.
