After deferring my SXSW ticket from 2020 for 2 years, I finally made it to Austin last week! Living off of coffee, protein bars, and occasional free drinks for the majority of the week I was there, I also made sure to fill my days to the brim with design+tech talks and activations. For the next series of posts, I'll be sharing my experiences of some memorable (for good and not-so-good reasons) experiential experiences. Let's start with the Cheetos House!
By featuring hands-free technology throughout the house, Cheetos completely embraced the tell-tale messy orange-dusted fingers that comes with the brand, down to the Cheetle (Cheetos residue) fingerprints on the Cheetos House staff's coats. But unfortunately, the execution of the Cheetos House was subpar, starting from the entrance for the line.
The line(s)
I happened to get to the house 30 minutes before it officially opened, but to my dismay, the line was already long (and I ended up waiting a total of nearly 1.5 hours). The signage was unclear as to where the line actually started, and I along with others started to queue in the wrong area, only to find that the line was actually all the way in the back of the yard. The only good thing from the lines was getting to chat with some interesting, fun people who were waiting with me.
I had to wait in three (!!!) lines before I stepped foot inside the actual house.
Line to get a wristband for entry
Line to wait outside the house after receiving a wristband
Line inside the house to sign in on iPads -- and it was only after I started to sign in on the iPad that I saw other people enter the next room without signing in. It was totally unclear whether the iPad sign-in was necessary, nor what the sign-in was for.
Flow inside the house
Discovery and exploration are two key factors for a great immersive experience, but regrettably, the house did not provide for either. For each room, a Cheetos house staff member explained a narrative of what was happening (how to watch a movie hands-free with Alexa in the living room, a description on the animation of making Cheetos Mozzarella sticks, an explanation of Chester's lifestyle and wardrobe). Each room was furnished and decorated with so much detail, including peeps of orange fingerprints, but because we were swiftly guided to the next room after a "presentation" ended, I did not have the time to appreciate all those details, and all I could do was take a few quick photos and videos.
Backyard nourishment
Fortunately, the spacious backyard area with Cheetos-themed food and drinks, along with the continuation of hands-free interactions, made up for the endless line-waiting and lackluster in-house experience (although admittedly, we were allowed 2 free drinks, but I could've used a 3rd after all that time spent in line!).
The bar served margaritas rimmed with Cheetos dust, and the food menu was completely Cheetos-themed. Even the napkins had Cheetle fingerprints!
A hands-free vending machine supplied a free bag of Cheetos, and a digital motion-activated wall allowed for hands-free painting
Show, not tell
For an event as large as SXSW with hundreds (if not thousands?!) of attendees wanting to visit the Cheetos House each day, I thought the "mandatory" presentations for each room was a big misstep. Not only did the presentations take out the fun of self-exploration and discovery of Cheetos details, it also caused a gigantic bottleneck of lines outside. Why explain something, instead of letting the visitor figure it out on their own, at their own pace? Why not have the animation of the Mozzarella sticks play on loop, and have visitors discover what's happening? And ultimately, the free drinks and food may most likely be the "end goal" for the visitor, so why not make access to the backyard open and fluid, rather than forcing people through a rigid presentation of each room of the house? Although I left the Cheetos House with free bags of Cheetos (and a good buzz from the drinks), the house left more to be desired.
And just as my journey to the Cheetos House started with a line, it also finished with a line. (Featured below: A view of the second Cheetos House line, seen from the pedicab as my new Cheetos line-waiting buddy and I rushed back downtown to attend another talk)