In 2023, Kellanova aimed to make the Cheez-It brand more meaningful by engaging in philanthropic initiatives that resonated with the general public, while also increasing awareness of their efforts. But with a broad audience target and vast number of causes out there to support, how could the brand find an authentic opportunity and drive true impact?
Through its six years as an NCAA football bowl game sponsor Cheez-It has never failed to deliver absurdly satisfying bowl game experiences—from installing hundreds of remote-controlled cheese wheel fan-bots, to creating a royal cheese mascot and ziplining him onto the field, to having fans stay in a literal Cheez-It themed hotel room suite in the endzone - Cheez-It has strong equity in the college football space. So we decided to lean into this equity and create a football-centric philanthropic tie-in leveraging an established philanthropic partner in the space and elevating the voices and stories our fans would resonate with.
We found that almost every successful student has a story of a teacher who inspired their passion for learning. The same can be said for college football players and their mentors. We wanted to inspire college football fans through social content that celebrated the impact of teachers who have gone above and beyond, ultimately rewarding those teachers for their efforts.
We set out to make a difference to teachers and schools, inspire communities to get involved, and drive awareness of Cheez-It making an impact.
We first identified and confirmed the College Football Playoffs (CFP) Foundation's philanthropic platform Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) as our partner, whose mission is to elevate the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers. As CFP Foundation is a long-time Cheez-It partner, investing in the CFP’s existing philanthropic platform was the perfect way to authentically build philanthropic brand equity. From there, we crafted a season-long Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program that lived on influencer and brand Instagram and TikTok channels driving awareness to uplift and empower teachers.
Using our equity in the college football space, we inspired fans through social media that celebrated the impact of college football players’ teachers who had them #FeelinTheCheeziest – or next-level excited – for academics or their sport, rewarding them with much-deserved recognition and a donation to their schools on behalf of Cheez-It.
How we did it:
PARTNERED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO CELEBRATE TEACHERS
We launched a call to action to college football athletes, driving 600+ submissions for stories about the teachers who had them Feelin’ the Cheeziest for academics or their sport. We selected six notable athletes with authentic stories of impact who wanted to give back.
Our six athlete partners and their stories:
@Terianwilliams Terian Williams (Stanford University) was inspired by his 3rd-grade teacher to believe in himself and pursue dreams of football and giving back to his elementary school.
@johnrhysplumlee John Rhys Plumlee (University of Central Florida) was supported by his calculus teacher during his lowest, fighting back tears over the career decision that would shape his future, reminding him that everything would work out.
@big_huncho71 Evan Henry (Jackson State University) credits his middle school ROTC teacher, a father figure, for shaping him into who he is today.
@payton_thorne1 Payton Thorne (Auburn University) fondly remembers his elementary school teacher for introducing him to football through daily games at recess.
@_travishunter Travis Hunter (University of Colorado Boulder) praises his history teacher and football coach for their profound impact on his life and for being instrumental to his football success in football.
@jamarijones_9 Jamari Jones (Mississippi Valley State) credits his 8th-grade computer teacher for seeing the potential in him and teaching perseverance, helping him mature mentally to become a quarterback.
PLAYERS SURPRISED THEIR NOMINATED TEACHERS WITH CHEEZ-IT x EYFT DONATIONS
In partnership with Cheez-It and Extra Yard for Teachers, players connected virtually with their teachers to look back on their meaningful impact, surprising them with a $10K donation to put toward their classroom and school.
DROVE AWARENESS FOR CHEEZ-IT AS A BRAND WHO GIVES BACK
We created engaging TikTok and Instagram content of teacher surprises and shared on athlete social channels to highlight Cheez-It's philanthropic efforts. Our partners told their stories through in-feed video and story content on their Instagram and TikTok. They went live on a rolling basis every two weeks throughout football season.
Overall, Cheez-It donated $250,000 to EYFT, which supported over 300 teachers across 170 schools. A portion of the donation was set aside so that our student athlete partners could surprise their teachers personally. The campaign gave a platform to authentic voices to share their meaningful stories and connected the brand to doing good, delivering overwhelmingly positive sentiment and explicit gratitude toward Cheez-It. In addition to the donation, the campaign:
Delivered over 20.4MM impressions among gen pop/college football fans
Drove more than 15k engagements* across Instagram and TikTok
Achieved 98% positive & neutral sentiment, exceeding enterprise benchmark by 10 points
15% of comments expressed gratitude explicitly toward Cheez-It
Generated more than 113MM earned media impressions, with national publications such as Blavity, Afrotech, and On3NIL sharing stories about Cheez-It making an authentic impact
All athletes received an outpouring of support from their communities and followers, resharing the love, which drove 14 added value posts
