Elana Black

Tags: Product Innovation / Award Winning / Comedy / Custom Video / Recipes / Brand Awareness / Brand Association / Upper Funnel / Custom Production


Cheetos tasked the Amazon Brand Innovation Lab team with strengthening the brand’s connection to recipes among their Gen Z audience during the holidays. In order to break through a cluttered time with a skeptical audience, we needed to do something totally unexpected.

Looking at social trends, we found a natural insight that customers were crushing up Cheetos to incorporate into their recipes. What better way to get more people to adopt this trend than by making it easier for them to create Cheetle?

Introducing the Cheetos Duster—a brand new product that grinds Cheetos into the perfect cooking ingredient. We bundled the duster with Cheetos products to capitalize on the social phenomenon of Cheetos-cooking, and created a tongue-in-cheek infomercial touting the wonders of Cheetos dust. The team also created a complementary recipe hub to showcase the tasty dishes Cheetle can create, and a FireTV landing page.

Results
The Cheetos Duster went live for purchase on 11/15/2022 and sold out within 2 hours, becoming the #1 Mixer/Blender on Black Friday. The Cheetos Duster has earned 12.7 Billion impressions, 443 press mentions, 38% new-to-brand purchases and a 149% increase in year-over-year sales. Additionally, the Cheetos Duster has sold for up to 10x the original sales price on ebay.

Awards
GOLD Effie Winner: Snack & Desserts, 2024

Bronze Effie Winner: New Product Line or Service Extension, 2024

Gold Plus Winner | Internationalist Awards: Ecommerce

Best Brand Partnership Winner | Digiday Awards: B2C

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab:
Creative Lead: Elana Black
Creative Director: Sarah Betts
Principal Content Producer: Rad Olievschi
Senior Art Director: Roxy Dalton
Senior Copywriter: Seth Mollerup
Design Director: Joseph Dasaro
Design Technologist: Alec Kunkel
Manager, Solutions Management: Shana Weber
Solutions Manager: Roey Feuerstein
Principal Brand Strategist: Jonathan Lum
Interactive Designer: Cassie Xu
Sr. Marketing Manager: Gina Avila
Head of US CPG & Grocery: Joseph Delhommer
Account Executive: Jeremy Kaplan
Account Executive: Jess Segal

Director: Mike Bernstein, Superprime Films
Editor: Jamie Connors, Gattie + Lopez
Colorist: Gene Curley, Nice Shoes

Brief
Mostly known as a dog dental care and treats brand, Greenies wanted to create awareness around their new Smart Essentials dog food launch. It was important to keep our campaign fun, distinctive and true-to-brand without creating confusion with Greenies treats. To drum up excitement, the campaign had to be as innovative as the product itself.

Creative Spark
Pets are reflections of pet parents’ identities! So much so that when it comes to pet food, they feed their pets foods that seem healthy and premium to themselves. However, because dogs can’t speak, one way to taste test dog food is based on owner perception of how their dogs enjoy the food (tail wags, eating speed, lips licked, tippy tapping paws, etc.). So...in addition to having good ingredients, a dog food brand also needs the clear approval of furry companions before any dog parent can trust the brand long-term.

Idea & Execution
When it comes to dog food, the most authentic reviews should come from the dogs themselves! In a tongue-in-cheek, first-of-its-kind way, we turned tail wags into words, enabling dogs to ‘write’ their own Amazon review of Greenies Smart Essentials using a magical modern tool*: the Greenies Dog Review Interpreter.

Using real-time generative AI on Amazon Bedrock and Rekogniition technology, customers can open the Amazon app to scan their dogs while they eat Greenies dog food to generate a “review." We also brought dog reviews to life through custom videos featuring some esteemed canine critics that live on the brand store, STV, OLV, and Prime Video. Other Amazon touchpoints included audio ads and DSP media.

*While the Dog Interpreter can't actually read dogs’ minds (yet...) the tool gives dogs a fun voice to inspire dog and parent connection.

The Amazon BIL Team:
Sr. Creative Lead: Elana Black
Creative Director: Sarah Betts
Solutions Manager: Maggie Gradala
Design Technologist: Alec Kunkel
Copywriter: Palak Kapadia
Copywriter: Zack Barangan
Interactive Designer: Cassie Xu
Strategist: Simge Okut
Producer: Ryan Cunningham
Design Director: Joseph Dasaro

Production:
Director & Editor: Brandon Nicholas

Tags: Experiential / Virtual Reality / Brand Awareness / Upper Funnel / Custom Production

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab partnered with Frito-Lay to create the Cheetos Hands Free House, a 4-day experiential event at SXSW in Austin, TX, transporting guests to a world where their daily lives became completely hands-free. This innovative “home” included Amazon tech-enabled entry, smudge-free remote controls and Alexa voice-controlled experiences. The house allowed guests to take part in a variety of activities (IMDb content, Cheeto-inspired food recipes & more), all while leaving Cheetle* dust on their hands (and nowhere else!).

For those that were unable to attend SXSW, we also created a parallel VR-enabled online experience where users could digitally explore each room with a 360 degree-view, find tips & tricks to create their own hands-free home, and get their Cheetle-dusted hands on Amazon tech and Cheetos products to live their best hands-free lives.

* Cheetle [chet-l] – Noun – Powdery residue left on one’s fingertips after eating Cheetos.

Result:
The activation exceeded the attendance goal by 18%, gathering 1 billion total impressions. We garnered over 11 million impressions across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and #handsfreehouse earned 8 million views on TikTok.

Check out the immersive online experience here

Awards:
GOLD One Show Pencil: Integrated: Integrated Campaign

Shorty Awards: WINNER, Event & Experiential

Cannes Lions Shortlist 2022: Brand Experience & Activation Excellence in Brand Experience >360 Integrated Brand Experience

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab
Creative Director: Elana Black
Design Technologist: Alex Mejias
UX Designer: Yury Lizunov
Producer: Rad Olievschi
Senior Solutions Manager: Shana Weber

Production Partner: VTPro
Media Partner: OMD

Brief/Challenge
Greenies is well trusted when it comes canine oral care, but the brand tasked us with helping our shared customers realize that Greenies also makes supplements.

Insight

Our audience is wellness-forward individuals who know the impact of good care. So when it comes to their furry companions, they make an effort to treat them just like they treat themselves. For them, spoiling their pets means giving them the best preventative care—so they can enjoy long, happy lives.

Idea/Execution

It’s no secret that pets often reflect their owners’ identities—sometimes even resembling their looks and habits. Our campaign, "Doggie Doubles," plays on this connection, emphasizing how the best way to spoil our pets isn’t just with toys and gadgets, but by giving them long-term health through preventative care—like Greenies Supplements.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab Team:
Sr. Creative Lead: Elana Black
Creative Director: Sarah Betts
Copywriter: Leah Douglas
Solutions Manager: Maggie Gradala
Design Director: Joseph Dasaro
IX Designer: Cassie Xu
Design Technologist: Joohyun Park
Producer: Ryan Cunningham
Head of U.S. Grocery: Shana Weber
Head of U.S. Endemic: Alec Brinegar

Production:
Production Company: L'Eloi Montreal
Video Directors: BOM
Photography: LM Chabot
Video Editor: Greg Ryan

Brief/Challenge
For the launch of DiGiorno x Deadpool & Wolverine limited-edition pizzas, we needed to create a campaign that made our epic collab matter to our audience. This partnership gave us an opportunity to use Deadpool’s irreverent humor and increase DiGiorno’s relevancy with fun Deadpool launch integrations to expand the audience into Marvel fans.

Insight
Deadpool is loved exactly because of his unconventional characteristics. Unlike other superheroes, his imperfect character and unexpected humor makes him both inspirational and relatable. Interestingly enough, DiGiorno is similarly an anti-hero that rejects the concept of delivery while being a comfort brand for most people.

Idea/Execution
While DiGiorno’s most famous campaign rejects the concept of delivery, that’s precisely what customers come to Amazon for. We announced the arrival of DiGiorno x Deadpool & Wolverine by re-visiting the iconic “not delivery” campaign with a Deadpool twist: focusing on the irreverent, challenger tone of the collaboration—in person and online. Our video spot presents what appears to be a routine Amazon delivery of a DiGiorno-branded box, turned into a surprising brush with Deadpool himself. Our custom brand store page delivered not only pizza, but the perfect night in centered around DiGiorno pizza. Inspired by each limited-edition pie, we curated items for epic nights in that deliver the perfect hang-out with nods to the Deadpool films, making it easier for our customers to maximize any occasion. 

This campaign also included a sponsorship of the IMDboat at Comic-Con. From July 25-27, IMDb invited fans onboard the IMDboat to enter the DiGiorno Relax and Recharge Lounge, which served up complimentary drinks and the new, limited-edition pizzas inspired by the Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab Team:
Creative Director: Elana Black
Art Director: Kay Beck
Copywriter: Mu Mapondera
Solutions Manager: Maggie Gradala
Sr. Brand Strategist: Simge Okut
Design Technologist: Alec Kunkel
Interactive Designers: Kingyin Cheung & Juliet Romano
Producer: Ryan Cunningham
Sr. Account Executive: Henry James
IMDb: Nate Knappen, Maddie Hopkins & Myra Thompkins

Campaign Objective
Drive increased brand awareness and overall association between Cheetos Popcorn and streaming for a Gen-Z audience. Tap into Amazon's suite of products to create an innovative, tech-forward streaming and content experience that builds on Cheetos' commitment to a "hands-free" lifestyle. 

Insight
The average customer spends 40 hours per year searching for something to watch. That's a lot of time spent aimlessly scrolling with the remote...especially if you have Cheetle-covered fingertips. So how can we help customers scroll less and snack more on movie night?

Idea
Welcome to Chester's Watchlist—a brand-new, hands-free way to quickly find a movie to watch, courtesy of pop culture expert Chester Cheetah. 

We launched a branded Alexa experience that allows customers to ask, "What's Chester watching?" to generate movie and snacking suggestions, plus a $5 credit toward Cheetos Popcorn. This first-of-its-kind campaign also extends across a custom Fire TV hub and Brand Store execution, and is being supported by three original streaming TV spots, audio ads, and banner media.

Creative Lead: Elana Black
Creative Director: Sarah Betts
Sr. Copywriter: Victoria Spagnuolo
Exec Producer: Rad Olievschi
Solutions Manager: Roey Feuerstein
Brand Strategist: Jonathan Lum
Design Technologist: Alec Kunkel
IX Designer: Kingyin Cheung

Director: Camille Boyer
Production Company: L’Eloi
Editor: Jamie Connors

Tags: Cause Advertising / Brand Awareness / Upper Funnel / COVID Resilient

At the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Frito-Lay sought to execute a digital campaign that emphasized Lay’s potato chips’ ability to connect one another, while being culturally sensitive to the unprecedented moment in time.

Lay’s Sending Joy – a campaign celebrating “Joy Givers”, real people who bring joy to their communities through selfless acts of kindness and charity.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab researched, identified, and selected multiple “Joy Givers” to highlight in documentary-style videos for their philanthropic efforts supporting vulnerable communities. Each of these Joy Givers became the recipient of gratitude via an unexpected delivery from Amazon featuring a pop-up picnic, delicious Lay’s potato chips, a familiar face on a Fire tablet and a surprise monetary donation from Frito-Lay to their organizations.

Amazon Custom Ads Team
Sr. Creative Lead: Elana Black
Sr. Copywriter: Sim Lecompte
Creative Director: Joseph Delhommer
Producer: Rad Olievschi
Program Manager: Theresa Tang

Tags: Augmented Reality / Brand Awareness / Full Funnel / COVID Resilient / Reward-based Advertising / Custom Animation

While Kinder Joy is well-known in international markets, the brand is seeking to gain awareness in the U.S, since its American launch in 2017. Leading up to Easter 2022, Kinder Joy wanted to be top of mind for consumers in the U.S., seeking long-term brand awareness and near-term holiday sales.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab reimagined the classic Easter "egg hunt" as an augmented reality Kinder Joy egg hunt the whole family could enjoy.

Our team developed an augmented reality Kinder Joy egg hunt experience exclusively accessible on the Amazon platform. The AR experience provided users of all ages the opportunity to explore their own environs seeking out a series of Kinder Joy eggs with a variety of toy characters. In the spirit of the holiday, those who collected all six eggs were rewarded with a redeemable coupon for the Kinder Joy product exclusively on Amazon.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab
Sr. Creative Lead: Elana Black
Sr. Copywriter: Sim LeCompte
Design Technologist: Hanna Arfine
Design: Matthew Zagada
UX Design: Zoe Zheng
Production: Rad Olievschi
Animation: Art & Graft

Tags: Native Advertising / Brand Awareness / Full Funnel / COVID Resilient / Multi-Brand Campaign / Scalable Campaign / Video Production

Seeking to capitalize on the then-upcoming Global Running Day during the height of the COVID pandemic, global running brands were looking for full funnel advertising executions associated with online sales channels.

Amazon Brand Innovation Lab created a multi-brand campaign featuring New Balance and Under Armour to celebrate Global Running Day and empower customers to embrace running through Amazon offerings such as storytelling video, Alexa routines, music playlists, running products and customer product reviews.

In one of Amazon Advertising’s first custom activations produced entirely remote during COVID, we featured brand-sponsored professional athletes who filmed their own footage using smart phones with detailed direction from the creative team (due to the shelter in place order). The campaign featured first-person interviews with Emma Coburn—Olympic Medalist & World Champion for New Balance, and Natasha Hastings—Olympic Gold Medalist & World Champion for Under Armour.

Amazon’s Global Running Day campaign has become the longest-running multi-brand offering on the Amazon advertising platform. With repeat advertisers every year since inception, it has become one of Amazon Advertisings most successful scalable programs.

Amazon Custom Ads
Creative Director: Chris Martinez
Senior Art Director: Elana Black
Copywriter: Sim LeCompte
UX Design: Zoe Zheng
Producer: Carrie Schaer
Motion Graphics: Cassandra Krul
Design Technologist: Hanna Arfine