Cheez-It is turning its new ad campaign into a tangible consumer experience, offering fans the chance to rent the orange leather, cracker-shaped sectional couch featured in its Couch Committee commercials as part of a fully staged college football tailgate. The promotion, from Mars, Incorporated, runs through Oct. 5 and signals how snack brands are increasingly blurring the line between advertising and experiential marketing to drive purchase intent during peak sports seasons.
The Activation Details
One winner and up to five guests will receive the couch rental at no cost — effectively priced, as the brand frames it, at the cost of a box of Cheez-It crackers. The prize package includes a dedicated 30-minute meet-and-greet with Chase Daniel, a former backup quarterback and current football analyst, along with premium photo opportunities, autographs, and a branded snack spread. Entry opens Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. ET and closes Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET at cheezit.com/couchcommittee.
Daniel, who will host the tailgate experience, called the appearance "a pretty great way to spend game day," adding that he looks forward to putting the winner's football knowledge to the test. Nicole Sorensen, VP of Marketing for Cheez-It, framed the effort as an extension of the brand's nearly decade-long investment in college football culture — one designed to put fans "even closer to the game day conversation."
Why It Matters for the Industry
For foodservice and snack industry operators, the campaign illustrates a broader shift in how CPG brands activate around sporting events. Rather than relying solely on in-stadium signage or broadcast spots, brands like Cheez-It are engineering shareable, in-person moments that generate social media content organically. The tailgate format, in particular, is fertile ground for snack and beverage brands looking to embed themselves in consumption rituals that already exist. Operators and venue managers scouting snack and beverage category trends will recognize this model: meet consumers where they already gather, then amplify the moment.
Cheez-It's college football portfolio is substantial. The brand sponsors the College Football Playoff and holds naming rights to both the Cheez-It Bowl and Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. This couch activation extends that infrastructure into grassroots fan engagement, a tactic that restaurant and hospitality marketers tracking experiential dining concepts will find instructive. The mechanics — a low-barrier sweepstakes entry, a recognizable celebrity partner, and a visually distinctive prop — are replicable elements for brands of any size looking to convert passive audience attention into active participation.
Mars, whose combined snacking and food portfolio exceeded $65 billion in net sales following its Kellanova acquisition, has the scale to run national campaigns alongside targeted experiential moments. Cheez-It's Couch Committee effort is a case study in how a heritage snack brand sustains cultural relevance across a long sports season — and how the tailgate remains one of the most valuable, undermonetized touchpoints in food and beverage marketing.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
