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Sunlight-activated ink answers the question, ‘Where is Chester?’

Said to be the largest commercial use of photochromic inks by a CPG, a promotion by PepsiCo Mexico uses light-sensitive inks to reveal Chester the Cheetah on bags of its Frito-Lay snacks.

Cheetos 'Where is Chester?' promotion is said to be the largest commercial use of photochromic inks by a CPG.
Cheetos "Where is Chester?" promotion is said to be the largest commercial use of photochromic inks by a CPG.

Chester Cheetah, mascot for Frito-Lay’s Cheetos brand recently had his day in the sun, with PepsiCo Mexico’s Where is Chester? promotion, which featured sunlight-activated bags that revealed the mischievous cat in 16 poses. From a technical perspective, the promotion is believed to be the largest commercialization and distribution of photochromic technology for a major CPG brand to date, anywhere in the world. That’s according to Chromatic Technologies Inc., which formulated the light-sensitive inks for the project.

In 2015, CTI worked on a project with Frito-Lay in the United States for its Lay’s brand that used photochromic ink on the chip bags. The promotion was so successful, it captured the attention of the Cheetos brand marketing team in Mexico, which wanted to do something bigger and more interactive. The Where is Chester? Cheetos bag was distributed nationwide and featured the product logo at the top and the image of a large magnifying glass below, with a white center. When the bag was exposed to sunlight, Chester appeared.

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