TOBY MARLOW

Linkedin / Contact

Resumé

TOBY MARLOW

Resumé

Linkedin / Contact

TOBY MARLOW

Linkedin / Contact

Resumé

A Global Gaming Community for Cheetos International: Digital Transformation Strategy

In 2010, I led the creation of Cheetos International's Global Gaming Community, a comprehensive digital platform that transformed how the brand engaged with young consumers worldwide. As Cheetos underwent a major strategic shift to target an older demographic (tweens aged 11-13) while maintaining their existing younger audience, they recognized an opportunity to consolidate international website plans into a single, centrally managed solution that could scale across diverse global markets from the Middle East to Central America.

A Global Gaming Community for Cheetos International: Digital Transformation Strategy

In 2010, I led the creation of Cheetos International's Global Gaming Community, a comprehensive digital platform that transformed how the brand engaged with young consumers worldwide. As Cheetos underwent a major strategic shift to target an older demographic (tweens aged 11-13) while maintaining their existing younger audience, they recognized an opportunity to consolidate international website plans into a single, centrally managed solution that could scale across diverse global markets from the Middle East to Central America.

At a Glance

The Challenge: Create an engaging and easy-to-manage global platform for international markets that would inspire tweens (11-13 year olds) while not alienating existing customers (8-10 year olds). The new platform had to be easy to launch globally and sensitive to the unique cultures of each market, from the Middle East to Central America.

The Solution: A Global Gaming Community featuring four richly detailed gaming worlds (sports, adventure, theme parks, music) each filled with engaging games and a points-based rewards system. Tribe-based social features let users play with friends, while the platform’s centralized management supports seamless deployment across 30 countries and 15 languages.

Impact Summary

+30

Adopted by 30 countries and translated into 15 languages

+135%

Increased site traffic by an average of 135% within 3 months of launch.

Operational Efficiency

Centrally managed solution that reduced complexity of local market customization.

Brand Evolution

Bridged the gap between existing audience (8-10) and new target demographic (11-13).

Impact Summary

+30

Adopted by 30 countries and translated into 15 languages

+135%

Increased site traffic by an average of 135% within 3 months of launch

Operational Efficiency

Centrally managed solution that reduced complexity of local market customization.

Brand Evolution

Bridged the gap between existing audience (8-10) and new target demographic (11-13).

Impact Summary

+30

Adopted by 30 countries and translated into 15 languages

+135%

Increased site traffic by an average of 135% within 3 months of launch

Operational Efficiency

Centrally managed solution that reduced complexity of local market customization.

Brand Evolution

Bridged the gap between existing audience (8-10) and new target demographic (11-13).

The Problem

Cheetos International faced multiple complex challenges during their 2010 digital transformation:

Demographic Shift: Need to engage older target market (tweens 11-13) while maintaining connection with existing younger customers (8-10 years old)

Global Fragmentation: Individual markets were developing separate website solutions, creating inefficiencies and inconsistent brand experiences
Technical Constraints: Unpredictable internet speeds across international markets required solutions that worked regardless of bandwidth.
Cultural Sensitivity: Platform needed to work across diverse cultures from Middle East to Central America while maintaining brand consistency.
Management Complexity: Local teams had varying levels of technical literacy, requiring intuitive content management capabilities

The brand needed a solution that could unify their global digital presence while respecting local market needs and technical limitations.

Launched in 2006, Amplify mCLASS had evolved into a powerful but frustrating platform. Despite multiple updates, the system's steep learning curve was causing significant issues:

Administrative Overload: Teachers spent excessive time navigating complex interfaces instead of focusing on student instruction.
Hidden Functionality: Many educators were unaware of the platform's full capabilities, viewing mCLASS as a requirement rather than an advantage.
Esoteric Language: Over-reliance on acronyms and unclear actions made the platform inaccessible to users of all experience levels
Unpredictable Interface: Inconsistent functionality created a "Mine Sweep" experience where teachers couldn't predict system behavior
Data-Driven Design: Platform structure was dictated by data availability rather than user context and actual classroom needs

The result was widespread teacher frustration and underutilization of a potentially powerful educational tool.

Launched in 2006, Amplify mCLASS had evolved into a powerful but frustrating platform. Despite multiple updates, the system's steep learning curve was causing significant issues:

Administrative Overload: Teachers spent excessive time navigating complex interfaces instead of focusing on student instruction.
Hidden Functionality: Many educators were unaware of the platform's full capabilities, viewing mCLASS as a requirement rather than an advantage.
Esoteric Language: Over-reliance on acronyms and unclear actions made the platform inaccessible to users of all experience levels
Unpredictable Interface: Inconsistent functionality created a "Mine Sweep" experience where teachers couldn't predict system behavior
Data-Driven Design: Platform structure was dictated by data availability rather than user context and actual classroom needs

The result was widespread teacher frustration and underutilization of a potentially powerful educational tool.

My Role

Product Design Lead - Project and Design Lead - I led all research, strategy, and UX design for this global digital transformation, partnering with Your Majesty (UI design and development) and Arcadium (licensed games). My primary responsibilities included:  

Project planning and scoping across multiple international markets
Literature study and regional consumer research analysis
User interviews with parent+child pairs in key markets
UX strategy development and user flow architecture
Wireframing and art direction coordination
User testing facilitation across diverse demographics
Deployment management and market rollout coordination

Product Design Lead - Project and Design Lead - I led all research, strategy, and UX design for this global digital transformation, partnering with Your Majesty (UI design and development) and Arcadium (licensed games). My primary responsibilities included:  

Project planning and scoping across multiple international markets
Literature study and regional consumer research analysis
User interviews with parent+child pairs in key markets
UX strategy development and user flow architecture
Wireframing and art direction coordination
User testing facilitation across diverse demographics
Deployment management and market rollout coordination

Research & Discovery

Global Stakeholder Workshop

Facilitated in person sessions with stakeholders across international markets to understand regional needs, constraints, and opportunities.

Parent+Child Interviews

Conducted in-depth interviews in Mexico City to understand family dynamics, digital behaviors, and cultural considerations affecting platform design.

Technical Feasibility Assessment:

Evaluated bandwidth capabilities across participating markets to inform design constraints and functionality decisions.

Competitive Analysis

Studied existing gaming and social platforms popular with tweens to identify engagement patterns and design opportunities.

Strategic Approach

Behavioral Alignment Strategy: Focused on tapping into existing tween behaviors rather than creating new ones, recognizing that online activities were dominated by video content, gaming, and social media.

Universal-yet-Flexible Architecture: Created one core solution adaptable to all markets while maintaining simplicity for varying technical literacy levels and internet speeds.

Individual-within-Social Framework: Designed social experiences that celebrated group participation while enabling individual achievement and identity expression.

Key Innovations

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System
We created four themed environments (sports, adventure, theme parks, music) that appeared complex but operated through simple hotspot activation, enabling rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Sports World: Appealing to competitive tweens interested in athletics and team activities.
Adventure World: Targeting exploration and discovery-minded users.
Theme Parks World: Focused on fun, excitement, and entertainment.
Music World: Engaging users interested in rhythm, creativity, and self-expression.

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System
Users could create or join tribes, challenging each other in gameplay to collect points. The points system enabled promotions including both physical and digital prizes, creating tangible value for engagement.

Modular Design
While the worlds were crafted to be richly detailed and highly engaging, the management system remained intentionally simple, enabling markets to easily toggle features on or off as needed.

Each world included 3–5 strategically placed hotspots and 2–4 promotional tiles that could be activated or hidden based on game availability, promotions, or local market priorities. Hotspots were subtly camouflaged to invite exploration, with each interaction unlocking vivid animations that rewarded discovery.

Project Deep Dive

🔍 Discovery Insights and Strategic Foundation

Key Insight 1: Tap Into, Don't Create Behaviors: Research revealed that online tween activities were dominated by three core behaviors: video content consumption, gaming, and social media interaction. This insight shaped our decision to focus on gaming as the primary engagement mechanism.  
Key Insight 2: Social Experience for Individuals While friends played a huge role in tween identity, the ability to act as an individual was equally important. This led to the tribe-based system that enabled both group participation and individual achievement.  
Key Insight 3: One Solution for All Markets Unpredictable internet speeds across markets meant complexity management was critical. This insight drove the development of the simple hotspot system that could deliver rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Results and Impact

Successfully deployed across 30 countries
Translated into 15 different languages
Achieved 135% average increase in site traffic within 3 months of launch

Project Deep Dive

🔍 Discovery Insights and Strategic Foundation

Key Insight 1: Tap Into, Don't Create Behaviors: Research revealed that online tween activities were dominated by three core behaviors: video content consumption, gaming, and social media interaction. This insight shaped our decision to focus on gaming as the primary engagement mechanism.  
Key Insight 2: Social Experience for Individuals While friends played a huge role in tween identity, the ability to act as an individual was equally important. This led to the tribe-based system that enabled both group participation and individual achievement.  
Key Insight 3: One Solution for All Markets Unpredictable internet speeds across markets meant complexity management was critical. This insight drove the development of the simple hotspot system that could deliver rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Project Deep Dive

🔍 Discovery Insights and Strategic Foundation

Key Insight 1: Tap Into, Don't Create Behaviors: Research revealed that online tween activities were dominated by three core behaviors: video content consumption, gaming, and social media interaction. This insight shaped our decision to focus on gaming as the primary engagement mechanism.  
Key Insight 2: Social Experience for Individuals While friends played a huge role in tween identity, the ability to act as an individual was equally important. This led to the tribe-based system that enabled both group participation and individual achievement.  
Key Insight 3: One Solution for All Markets Unpredictable internet speeds across markets meant complexity management was critical. This insight drove the development of the simple hotspot system that could deliver rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Other Case Studies

535% Surge in Viewer Engagement

Reimagining DirecTV's Content Discovery Experience

535% Surge in Viewer Engagement

Reimagining DirecTV's Content Discovery Experience

Unifying 3rd Party Content Discovery

DirecTV's App-Integrated Homepage Experience

Unifying 3rd Party Content Discovery

DirecTV's App-Integrated Homepage Experience

Redesigning How Early Literacy is Taught in Classrooms

A Neuroscience-Driven Merchandising Strategy for DirecTV

Redesigning How Early Literacy is Taught in Classrooms

A Neuroscience-Driven Merchandising Strategy for DirecTV

A New Design System for Unilever's North American Brands

Creating a Unified, Cost-Efficient System for 35+ Unilever Brands

A New Design System for Unilever's North American Brands

Creating a Unified, Cost-Efficient System for 35+ Unilever Brands

Connecting a Global Workforce

Designing NBCUniversal’s First Unified Platform for 45,000 Employees

Connecting a Global Workforce

Designing NBCUniversal’s First Unified Platform for 45,000 Employees

Other Case Studies

535% Surge in Viewer Engagement

Reimagining DirecTV's Content Discovery Experience

535% Surge in Viewer Engagement

Reimagining DirecTV's Content Discovery Experience

Unifying Content Discovery

DirecTV's App-Integrated Homepage Experience

Unifying Content Discovery

DirecTV's App-Integrated Homepage Experience

Redesigning How Early Literacy is Taught in Classrooms

A Neuroscience-Driven Merchandising Strategy for DirecTV

Redesigning How Early Literacy is Taught in Classrooms

A Neuroscience-Driven Merchandising Strategy for DirecTV

A New Design System for Unilever's North American Brands

Creating a Unified, Cost-Efficient System for 35+ Unilever Brands

A New Design System for Unilever's North American Brands

Creating a Unified, Cost-Efficient System for 35+ Unilever Brands

Connecting a Global Workforce

Designing NBCUniversal’s First Unified Platform for 45,000 Employees

Connecting a Global Workforce

Designing NBCUniversal’s First Unified Platform for 45,000 Employees

Other Case Studies

535% Surge in Viewer Engagement

Reimagining DirecTV's Content Discovery Experience

Unifying 3rd Party Content Discovery

DirecTV's App-Integrated Homepage Experience

Redesigning How Early Literacy is Taught in Classrooms

A Neuroscience-Driven Merchandising Strategy for DirecTV

A New Design System for Unilever's North American Brands

Creating a Unified, Cost-Efficient System for 35+ Unilever Brands

Connecting a Global Workforce

Designing NBCUniversal’s First Unified Platform for 45,000 Employees

Linkedin / Contact

Resumé

Resumé

Linkedin / Contact

Linkedin / Contact

Resumé

A Global Gaming Community for Cheetos International: Digital Transformation Strategy

A Global Gaming Community for Cheetos International: Digital Transformation Strategy

A Global Gaming Community for Cheetos International: Digital Transformation Strategy

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System We created four themed environments (sports, adventure, theme parks, music) that appeared complex but operated through simple hotspot activation, enabling rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System Users could create or join tribes, challenging each other in gameplay to collect points. The points system enabled promotions including both physical and digital prizes, creating tangible value for engagement.

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System
We created four themed environments (sports, adventure, theme parks, music) that appeared complex but operated through simple hotspot activation, enabling rich experiences with minimal technical requirements.

Adaptive Gaming Worlds System
Users could create or join tribes, challenging each other in gameplay to collect points. The points system enabled promotions including both physical and digital prizes, creating tangible value for engagement.