Snack Chat

Meet the New Tostitos Spokesbag!

The New York Times this week shared a great story about the new Tostitos "spokesbag," an animated version of the iconic Tostitos tortilla chip bag. This new "spokesbag" has arms, a mouth and a ton of swagger, to help remind everyone in an entertaining and light-hearted way that Tostitos is the brand that knows how to party.

The advertising campaign, led by Tostitos Senior Marketing Director Janelle Anderson (pictured at right), is the largest to date for the Tostitos brand. The new "spokesbag" will debut for a nationwide audience on Jan. 1, 2012, during the Rose Bowl broadcast on ESPN. The campaign then kicks into full gear on air and online with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, 2012. 

Continuing the Tostitos brand's more-than-30-year heritage of party and social, the campaign will encourage fans to post about their social celebrations through the Tostitos Facebook page and Twitter handle -- taking the brand back to its party roots in a fun and unique way to help spark even more social gatherings in the new year.

What do you think of the new Tostitos "spokesbag?"

- Joe

The Twelve Snacks of Christmas

Christmas is almost here! For me, that means a whirlwind of visits from friends and trips to see family, a lot of dog wrangling (this year we’ll have nine dogs in one house!) and a lot of great food and quality time with the people who matter most to me. Since we’re all usually so busy running around, we'll likely find ourselves looking for the perfect snack to keep us going. So, to get in the Christmas spirit, I’m happy to present my rendition of a holiday classic: The 12 Snacks of Christmas (Sung to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas)!

As my Christmas gift to all of you, I’ve opted to simply type the lyrics below instead of recording my beautiful singing voice!

For the first snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .an 8-ounce can of Pepsi.

For the second snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .two Grandma’s Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies.

For the third snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .three Fritos Original corn chips.

For the fourth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .four bottles of Aquafina.

For the fifth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .five Fritos Pie Remixes.

For the sixth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .six Lay’s Classic potato chips.

For the seventh snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .seven Cheetos Crunchy snacks.

For the eight snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .eight Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar pita chips.

For the ninth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .nine Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chips.

For the tenth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .ten Garden Salsa SunChips multigrain snacks.

For the eleventh snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .eleven Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips.

For the twelfth snack of Christmas, my true love gave to me. . .twelve Smartfood Kettle Corn Flavored Popcorn.

So there you have it, the twelve snacks of Christmas! Are there any snacks you and your family enjoy as a part of your holiday traditions?

- Joe

Kicking for a Cause: My Day at the Tostitos Fiesta in the Square

Last Friday I had the chance to travel to New York for Tostitos Fiesta in the Square. This one-of-a-kind “party with a purpose” was designed to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters and turned out to be a celebration for the record books. 

As part of the event, the Tostitos brand converted Times Square Military Island into a college football endzone – you can see the photo to the right. Over the course of six hours, hundreds of fans took turns attempting field goals. Many people easily kicked the ball straight through the goal posts, others had a more challenging time (though I actually never took a turn at the tee, I imagine I’d fall into the latter group).

All in all, 181 successful field goals were made, enough to set a new Guinness World Records® title for the most people to make an American football field goal in six hours. As a result, the Tostitos brand is donating a total of $200,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters to help the organization recruit new big brothers and big sisters and create other fun experiences for “Bigs” and “Littles” around the country.

We were able to get some great photos of the partygoers and some very special guests – the VIP Bigs and Littles who joined us from Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, the former football greats who helped coach fans as they attempted their kicks, and television personality and Big Brother Nick Lachey who helped rally the crowd and contributed his own successful kick to the World Record cause.

Though the Guinness World Records® title has been set and the Tostitos Fiesta in the Square event is now over, it’s not too late to get involved. You can visit Tostitos on Facebook or www.bbbs.org/Tostitos until January 1, 2012 to make your own contribution. The Tostitos brand will match consumer donations made during this time period, up to a maximum of $25,000.

Be sure to tune in to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on ESPN on January 2, 2012, to see highlights from the Tostitos Fiesta in the Square and the presentation of the final donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

- Alexia

For Those About To Snack, We've Got Good News!

Growing up, my mother used to tell me snacks were just junk food. However, a study recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association might leave her singing a different tune. It found that the more often a person snacks, the higher quality their diet. That is, people who snack have higher intakes of fruit, milk, whole grains and vegetable oils* and lower intakes of sodium.

To conduct the study, the researchers looked at 24-hour dietary recall data from 11,209 adult subjects who participated in the 1999 - 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Their diets were then assessed using a tool from the United States Dietary Association (USDA) called the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) which measures a person’s compliance with the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The results showed that people who snack more, even up to four snacks per day, have higher HEI scores than people who do not snack. The study also found that people who snack eat fewer vegetables and less meat, beans, solid fat (which is high in the “bad” saturated fat that increases cholesterol), alcohol and added sugars.

So what does this mean for you as a Frito-Lay fan? You don’t have to feel bad about having your favorite chips as a snack. Just remember, when you choose your snacks, think about two things: 1) always pay attention to serving sizes and control your portions and 2) try to choose snacks that provide important food groups and nutrients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potassium, calcium and fiber, to help you boost your own personal HEI score.  

You can check out the full snacking study here.

- Danielle

*Vegetable oils are considered heart healthy because they are made with less than 20% of the bad saturated fat that raises cholesterol, greater than 80% of the good mono- and polyunsaturated fat that helps to lower cholesterol, and 0g trans fat.

Tostitos Brand Hosts Ultimate Times Square “Party with a Purpose” to Benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters

The Tostitos brand is kicking off college football bowl game season with the ultimate “party with a purpose” to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.

On December 16, 2011, from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET, the Tostitos brand, along with several college and pro football greats, including Jim Kelly, Rodney Peete and Antonio Pierce, and TV personality and Big Brother Nick Lachey, will host a one-of-a-kind event called “Tostitos Fiesta in the Square.” The brand will convert Times Square Military Island into a college football end zone, where fans are invited to help set a new Guinness World Records® title for the most people to kick a successful American football field goal in six hours.

As part of the event, Tostitos will donate $100,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters. If a new Guinness World Records® title is set, that amount will be doubled for a total contribution of $200,000.

Fans in the Times Square area are invited to join and take their shot at contributing to the potentially record-setting achievement from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The event will also include other football-themed activities, delicious snacks and more. Highlights from this one-of-a-kind celebration will be shared during the nationwide broadcast of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on ESPN on January 2, 2012.

Fans across the country who are unable to join the party in Times Square can also be part of the action and make donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters by visiting the Tostitos Facebook page between December 16, 2011 and January 1, 2012. The Tostitos brand will match consumer donations made during that time period, up to a maximum of $25,000. Check out the buzz that’s already building around this exciting event.

- Alexia