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Cheetos unpacks Halloween-themed social contest on mobile-optimized art hub

Frito-Lay?s Cheetos brand is joining the Halloween spirit by inviting consumers to purchase its Bag of Bones products, create ghoulish combinations with the monster-themed shapes and upload their art to a mobile-optimized exhibit site for a chance to win prizes.

The consumer packaged goods marketer?s mobile push comes on the heels of its two-day pop-up art exhibit, which took place on September 21 and 22 in New York?s Grand Central Terminal and housed some of the unique shapes found by Cheetos enthusiasts. Fans of the snack brand can purchase Cheetos' Bag of Bones products and get creative with the Halloween-themed pieces for the chance to have their masterpiece featured on the mobile-optimized exhibit hub.

?Localized, social campaigns like this have shown to be effective in the past,? said Carl Theobald, CEO of FollowAnalytics. ?If we look at other localized campaigns, we see regional sales increase significantly during such campaigns. 

?The important thing is to tailor your campaign to your audience.?

Spooking up new art
Earlier this week, consumers received the opportunity to view art made with Cheetos in a two-day installation, which featured 40 unique pieces, at Grand Central Terminal.

The Frito-Lay subsidiary sought to inspire that type of creativity among all of its fans by bringing the Cheetos Museum to mobile ahead of Halloween.

The spooky new contest invites individuals to join the Halloween spirit by creating monster-themed combinations using Cheetos found in the company?s Bag of Bones packages. Bag of Bones shapes include ribcages, skulls and hands.

Once consumers build a monster masterpiece out of these Cheetos, they can snap a photo of their art and upload it ? along with a short explanation or story ? onto CheetosMuseum.com.

The mobile-optimized museum site showcases moving imagery featuring the brand?s mascot, Chester Cheetah, as well as another ghoulish figure. Contestants can select the Click Here to Submit button and log in via Facebook or email to upload their submissions.

Individuals who do not wish to enter the sweepstakes ? or simply want to glean inspiration before creating their own installations ? can tap the Explore Monster Submissions button to view others? uploaded photos and stories.

Each submission must be two-dimensional and can contain up to 300 Bag of Bones pieces.

The contest, which runs through October 31, will reward participants with a variety of prizes. Some fans will have their art featured in a scary short film that will hit select AMC Theatres during the week leading up to Halloween, while the entrant with the most imaginative art will earn a $50,000 cash prize.

Mobile scares
As the fall season kick off in earnest, consumers are more likely to see a growing number of marketers capitalizing on the upcoming spooky holiday with various social activations and mobile contests.

Last year, a slew of major retailers rolled out Halloween-themed content designed to generate sales and boost mobile engagement.

Rite Aid targeted moms last Halloween on social media and through a mobile-optimized site where they could find tips, recipe ideas and other content for keeping on top of their busy schedules during the fall season (see story).

Target also had several mobile-first treats planned for customers last Halloween, including shoppable 360-degree virtual reality videos on YouTube and a crowdsourced social network that helped parents find the best houses for experiencing the holiday (see story).

?The importance of context in mobile campaigns cannot be overstated enough,? Mr. Theobald said. ?Seasonal themes are certainly context-specific and pertain to what's happening with the user at the moment. 

?However, that does not mean all CPG brands should be rolling out Halloween campaigns across mobile channels to all users,? he said. ?To the contrary, mobile campaigns need to be highly personalized. 

?If the user is in a part of the world where Halloween is not celebrated, such marketing efforts would fall flat. In addition, other factors such as age group should be considered. Halloween Cheetos seem much more likely to be targeted to younger consumers.?