How Thrillist and Cheetos Turned This Escape Room Into a Cheesy, One-Handed Adventure

NEW YORK—From Oct. 25-27, Thrillist and Cheetos joined forces to create an unforgettable, custom-built escape room as part of the snack brand’s “The Other Hand” campaign—a humorous nod to the challenge of living life with one hand out of commission, covered in Cheetos dust from your favorite snack.

This immersive experience targeted Thrillist’s audience of adventure-seeking travel and culture enthusiasts, with Vox Media’s experiential team collaborating with The Escape Game in Brooklyn to craft an escape room where guests could only use their nondominant hand. The other hand? Tucked into a custom Chester paw-inspired glove, of course. The custom Chester Cheetah-inspired gloves reinforced the campaign’s concept—and added an extra layer of fun.Photo: Dorothy Hong

“Cheetos approached us this summer with the goal of bringing ‘The Other Hand’ campaign to life,” explained Colbern Uhl, Vox Media’s senior director of experiential strategy. “Our objectives were clear: to amplify brand love by celebrating Cheetos’ fun, adventurous personality and to foster engagement through relatable, humorous scenarios.”

The escape room boasted more than 50 custom props and game elements, each crafted to immerse players in Cheetos’ playful world. “Our creative teams collaborated closely with [The Escape Game's] game designers to craft a custom narrative, along with bespoke props and game elements that made the room uniquely memorable and fully immersive,” said Uhl. The key, she added, was a “careful balance of creativity, brand alignment, and practical gameplay.” Uhl said the space was "designed for maximum shareability and memorable moments, empowering superfans while resonating with Thrillist’s adventure-driven audience in a distinctly branded experience.”Photo: Dorothy Hong“Our creative teams collaborated closely with [The Escape Game’s] game designers to craft a custom narrative, along with bespoke props and game elements that made the room uniquely memorable and fully immersive,” added Uhl.Photo: Dorothy Hong

“We were thrilled to see how quickly reservations filled up for this experience—a clear testament to people's strong brand love for Cheetos and Thrillist," she said.Photo: Dorothy HongThe fun started with playful, brand-inspired props and Easter eggs like Chester portraits, a Cheetos letterman jacket, and even a vintage Cheetos portrait—small, clever touches that enriched the room’s vibe without overdoing the branding, Uhl noted.

In the 30-minute experience, participants tackled Gen Z-inspired puzzles tapping into familiar (and often hilarious) anxieties, from “calling your wireless provider with internet issues” to learning and performing a TikTok dance to reveal a hidden key. “It was important to our team and Cheetos that this escape room felt grounded in real-life scenarios, while still keeping things fun and lighthearted,” she added.

The Thrillist team’s overarching goal was to keep the puzzles engaging while sticking to the campaign’s core theme. “We aimed to balance humor with authenticity,” Uhl said, adding that all the concepts needed to work within the physical restraints of an escape room—which sometimes meant “several rounds of prototyping and testing to ensure that props like the custom Chester paw gloves were functional yet restrictive enough to reinforce the campaign theme effectively.” Subtle brand touches like a letterman jacket enriched the atmosphere while "keeping branding tasteful and unobtrusive,” noted Uhl.Photo: Dorothy HongSuccessful teams got the ultimate reward: a surprise appearance from Chester Cheetah and, naturally, their own stash of Cheetos. By the end, more than 1,000 bags of Cheetos were distributed.Photo: Dorothy Hong

Beyond the IRL event, Vox Media and Thrillist extended the experience with influencer-driven content, a sweepstakes, and a digital escape room (which is still live for fans to play at home). “With the in-person escape room only open for three days in Brooklyn, we wanted to bring this unique experience to fans nationwide,” said Uhl. The digital experience, developed with SmartMedia Technologies, mirrors the in-person event, letting fans solve puzzles and experience the fun virtually. To measure the activation’s impact, Uhl and her team are analyzing metrics from a post-event survey. “These learnings will help us better understand our audience and will guide the creative development of future experiential concepts, as well as refine our event marketing strategy and tactics,” she said.Photo: Dorothy Hong

For Uhl, the activation—which saw reservations sell out in less than 39 minutes—showcased exactly what’s possible when you build connections between a brand and its fans. “By incorporating relatable themes, humor, and interactive elements, we were able to create an environment that was not only memorable but also deepened brand connection in a way that felt authentic and impactful," she said.