Dive Brief:

• Cheetos is partnering with hip-hop lifestyle brand Rock The Bells to debut eight original art pieces created from its iconic orange dust, or what the marketer refers to as "Cheetle," according to materials emailed to Marketing Dive.
• The "Yacht The Basel: The Art of the Cheetle" exhibit will feature works by artist Lefty Out There and debut at the Art Basel festival on Dec. 4 on the SeaFair, a mega-yacht docked at Miami's Bayfront Park. Consumers can sign up for the free show, which will also feature DJ sets and be followed by an invite-only experience that includes Cheetos-inspired cuisine, cocktails and a live performance.
• The partnership between Frito-Lay's Cheetos and Rock The Bells is the brand's latest campaign that taps into culture, a priority for CPG brands looking to reach a changing — and often younger — consumer base.

Dive Insight:

Frito-Lay is again making hay out of "Cheetle," this time by turning the finger-coating, neon orange dust into pieces of artwork that are at the core of an experiential activation at Art Basel in Miami. The art exhibit is free with RSVP and is headlined by hip-hop luminary Just Blaze, while an invite-only sojourn on the SeaFair yacht will feature "luxury" Cheetos-inspired cuisine and a performance by up-and-comer Kaash Paige.

By merging the iconic snack brand with hip-hop culture and a key art world event, Cheetos is making a cultural play to engage with younger consumers. CPG brands have worked to move away from the domestic tropes that the industry used in advertising for years by creating cultural cachet with Gen Z and millennial consumers.

"Over the years, fans have used Cheetos as inspiration for so many different things — from fashion to beauty to culinary and more," Jessica Spaulding, senior director of marketing at Frito-Lay North America, said in the press release.

Previously, the brand partnered with musician Bad Bunny on a leisurewear capsule collection developed in collaboration with Adidas. That effort also revolved around Cheetle, as it was accompanied by a Cheetle iD e-commerce experience that asked website visitors to post photos of their fingers coated in Cheeto dust to purchase the merchandise.

In the run-up to the Art Basel event, Rock The Bells will share behind-the-scenes videos of Lefty Out There creating his Cheetos-based art across its social media accounts. While he doesn't have the international profile of Bad Bunny, Lefty Out There boasts more than 29,000 Instagram followers and has collaborated with brands including Nike and Adidas and artists including Megan Thee Stallion and Chance the Rapper, per details shared with Marketing Dive.