After viewing the previews, I eagerly anticipated watching the recently released movie Flamin’ Hot (on Hulu and Disney+). The film combines the elements of a brand’s origin and an underdog story, a great recipe for an enjoyable movie experience.
At its heart, Flamin’ Hot is an empowering story of Mexican pride and the folks who overcame racism and hardships to turn the snack food industry on its head, saving a community in the process. But it’s also unabashedly a movie about marketing.
The story centers around Richard Montañez who is credited with creating the billion dollar Flamin’ Hot snack food brand. The brand known for its spiciness has been linked to various snack items, including Cheetos, popcorn, and even a Mountain Dew flavor. The story tracks his rise from troubled youth and beleaguered family man to corporate titan.
It truly is an inspiring story, regardless of the debate about its accuracy. But one thing that can’t be disputed is the valuable marketing lessons baked into the plot.
Marketing Lessons
1. Know your audience.
Empowered by his employment at Frito-Lay, janitor Richard wants to learn more about the snack food industry. To gain further insight, he goes on a ride-along with a shelf stocker. It quickly becomes apparent that the products on the shelf have limited appeal to the local, mostly Mexican-heritage community. “Where’s the flavor?” he asks.
Looking around his community he notices spice everywhere. He sees Elote, a spicy Mexican street corn, sold by local vendors. He sees hot sauces added to almost all dishes. This leads to the realization that there is a lack of spicy snack foods targeting Hispanics, a huge potential market.
2. Bring the right product to market.
In a humorous sequence, a group of “flavor scientists” are shown working on their own spicy product in the Midwest. The contrast between their lab coats and goggles and Ray and his family creating a spice slurry in their kitchen is evident. There is a distinction between good and bad levels of heat and it requires the right combination of ingredients. But more importantly, the key to achieving the sought-after Flamin’ Hot flavor is authenticity.
3. Promote your product.
This seems like a no brainer right? But some mid-level executives were threatened by the attention given to a Mexican janitor and chose not to promote the product, which almost caused it to fail along with Richard’s dreams. The first 5,000 cases were put on the market without any marketing support and remained unsold, with the product appearing to be destined for failure.
However, Richard and his team worked together on an effective guerrilla marketing and sampling program, demonstrating the power of the Hispanic market and ultimately resulting in a five-million case first order by the end of the movie.
Conclusion
One aspect that I believe the movie overlooks is that the popularity of the Flamin’ Hot brand extends beyond its initial intended audience. Flamin’ Hot has reached pop culture status and is beloved by teens and gamers of all ethnicities. Still, if you’re looking for a snack-sized study in marketing, give Flamin’ Hot a sample
