How flamin' hot became a flamin' hot business success

Please - whatever you do - don't let Prof Tim Noakes see this, but if you can ignore the blatant 'design of addictive unhealthy food snacks' element to this story, it holds a few useful insights for everyone else.

Flamin' hot is a spicy snack food flavour, which has become a bit of a cult in the US.

Thanks to endorsements by people like MC Hammer, and more contemporary rappers, as well as a few fashion influencers; the Flamin' Hot brand has exploded.  

The only thing we have close to this in South Africa is probably Messaris' Chilli Chippi [which just between us always tastes a bit stale every time I have tried it].

CNBC have a useful video insert that outlines the brand's rise to fame and the current 'health-trend' challenges that it faces:

This year, Cheetos Flamin' Hot returned some of their significant ad spend to the NFL with this Superbowl ad:

Last year, Cheetos Flamin' Hot even took part in New York Fashion Week - proving just how versatile this snack brand has become.

Cheesy? - you bet!

The lesson for innovators is that Cheetos' success comes from a strategy to service the needs of a growing demographic who's needs had never been met before.

How many needs in South Africa are largely overlooked by the limited worldviews of our corporate giants? I suspect an exploration here holds a lot of future business value for those that bother to explore it.