MENUMENU
  • Services
    • Services
      • Search Engine Optimization
      • Local SEO
      • Generative Engine Optimization
      • Digital PR
      • Content Marketing
      • Email Marketing Services
      • Lifecycle Marketing
      • Paid Media Advertising
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Creative Design Services
      • Conversion Rate Optimization
      • Website Design & Development
      • Amazon Marketing Services
      • Franchise Marketing
      • Franchise Development
      • National to Local Marketing
      • Reporting and Data Analytics
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Who We Serve
    • Who We Serve
      • Franchise Marketing
      • B2B Marketing
      • Lead Generation
      • Ecommerce
      • We Build Custom Strategies
      • View Sample Industries
  • About Us
    • About Ignite Visibility
      • Our Story
      • Our Values
      • Our Team
      • Clients
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Our Blog
      • Marketing Resources
      • Franchise Marketing Resources
      • Careers
      • Hiring Notice
  • Case Studies
  • Awards
  • Contact
  • 619.752.1955
Home / Industry News / Rachel Ferdinando, CMO and SVP of Frito-Lay – Ignite Marketer of the Week

Rachel Ferdinando, CMO and SVP of Frito-Lay – Ignite Marketer of the Week

June 20, 2022 By John Lincoln

In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Rachel Ferdinando, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Frito-Lay North America.

Ignite Visibility applauds Rachel Ferdinando for her ability to transcend traditional marketing barriers and lead her brand with fresh and innovative ideas.

Rachel Ferdinando, the Creative

If you’re looking for a ground-breaking marketer, Frito-Lay’s Rachel Ferdinando is it! Since joining Frito-Lay in 2017, Ferdinando has seen great personal and professional success.

In 2019, she won the Creativity Award for Brand Marketer of the Year by Ad Age magazine. She received this award for her ability to create an impeccable brand identity. Her award-winning Doritos Blaze Super Bowl campaign led to the most successful Frito-Lay launch in five years.

That same year, she led another Super Bowl campaign for the popular chip brand, Tostitos. In this campaign, fans created their own customized party invitations modeled after Super Bowl ads.

If those two campaigns weren’t enough, Ferdinando was also the brains behind a wildly successful Cheetos campaign. In this campaign, an AI-power camera turned everything into Cheetos.

In addition to those profitable ad campaigns, she also was at the helm of The Flamin’ Hot Spot, a pop-up eatery that promoted Flamin’ Hot Cheetos through menu items inspired by the popular snack.

Ferdinando’s Award-Winning Work at Frito-Lay North America

Her 2019 award from Ad Age magazine was just the beginning for Ferdinando. She would go on to win many other awards during her career at PepsiCo and Frito-Lay North America.

In January of 2020, she won a variety of awards including the Women in Business Award from the Dallas Business Journal, Marketer of the Year by The Drum, and Campaign US’s Female Frontier Awards: Breaking Brand Barriers. She was also a Finalist in PR Week’s Outstanding Marketer of the Year.

She started racking up the awards again in June 2021 when she was named a Most Innovative CMO by Business Insider. Her “Can’t Touch This” Cheetos campaign also won an award from the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity that month.

Most recently, in September 2021, she was named as one of Forbes’ World’s Most Influential CMOs for her work at Frito-Lay North America.

Life Before Frito-Lay North America

Ferdinando didn’t always see herself as a marketing genius. In fact, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in chemistry from the Imperial College London.

While still a senior in college, she started working for pharmaceutical giant SmithKline Beecham Corporation as a Territory Business Manager. Ferdinando would remain at the company for almost four years, working her way up the ladder to being named a Senior Key Account Manager on National Accounts.

Once SmithKline Beecham Corporation became GlaskoSmithKline, or GSK, Ferdinando started to travel the world with her company, working in a variety of roles including, Brand Manager, Innovation Manager, Innovation Director, Vice President, and Vice President & Global Business Leader. Her work with GSK lasted almost 16 years and took her from London to New York City.

Ferdinando ended her career with GSK in 2015 as a Vice President and General Manager of Malaysia & Brunei.

After leaving GSK, Ferdinando moved to Dallas, Texas for an opportunity as the Global Sector Leader of Family Care for Kimberly-Clark. 

During her two years at Kimberly-Clark, she was responsible for driving the profit growth of a $6.5 billion dollar portfolio of Family Care brands, including Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle.

After using her knowledge of native advertising at Kimberly-Clark, Ferdinando moved on to become a Vice President of Marketing Core Brands, Media & Digital for PepsiCo.

Ferdinando Climbs the Corporate Ladder

When she joined PepsiCo. and Frito-Lay North America in September 2017, Ferdinando became responsible for driving market share, revenue, and profit growth for the $5.6 billion dollar snack-food portfolio. Included in her responsibilities were household-name brands such as Doritos, Cheetos, and Tostitos.

It wasn’t long before Ferdinando was on the move again. This time, up Frito-Lay North America’s corporate ladder. In March 2019, she became the Senior Vice President Core Brands, Media, Portfolio & Partnerships.

After working in that role for almost three and a half years, she moved to her current position as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Frito-Lay North America.

Here she is responsible for all marketing initiatives for the entire Frito-Lay North America brand. This division of PepsiCo is worth $16 billion dollars a year.

Every day, Ferdinando gets to work with brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, and SunChips. She also is responsible for Frito-Lay’s Simply line, like Stacy’s Pita Chips. She increases their brand awareness through every marketing avenue, including social media sites like Facebook or Instagram.

Ferdinando’s Advice for New Marketers

In a recent 2022 article by The Drum, Ferdinando offered some solid advice for new marketers. “I want to see more marketers living within the cultural context of their consumers. The ability to shape and create culture is vital for any brand…. At Frito-Lay, we spend a lot of time understanding what is culturally happening for our consumers and showing up in a way that pushes purpose forward and creates impact.”

Ferdinando has been so successful in her career because so much of her work is focused on the value of consumer-centricity. She truly wants to create a brand that is helping the world by participating in events and causes that are important to her target audience.

Ferdinando’s biggest advice? “Bring your authentic self to everything you do.” Regardless of your field or industry, as long as you stay true to yourself, focus on your audience, and stay dialed in to what is happening around you, you will create engaging marketing campaigns that people will love.

Ferdinando is the Future of Marketing

When you look at Ferdinando’s long list of achievements, it can be hard to deny that she is responsible for the marketing success at Frito-Lay North America. As long as she keeps user experience at the center of her campaigns, Fernando will continue to grow her brand.

I am not sure how she will top herself at the 2023 Super Bowl but I am looking forward to seeing what Rachel Ferdinando does next!

Related Posts

  • Cole Bubenik, Content Marketer at RoundUp App - Ignite Marketer of the Week

    In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Cole Bubenik, content marketer…

  • John Lincoln of Ignite Visibility Nominated for Search Marketer of The Year (Press Release)

    Ignite Visibility Press Release The following is a press release. JOHN LINCOLN OF IGNITE VISIBILITY…

  • Lynne Biggar, CMO at Visa (Ignite Marketer of the Week)

    In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Lynne Biggar, Chief Marketing…

About John Lincoln

John Lincoln (MBA) is the CEO of Ignite Visibility, a top performance marketing agency backed by Mountaingate Capital. A digital marketing strategist and keynote speaker, Lincoln has managed over 1,000 marketing programs for brands like DoorDash, HBO, Tony Robbins, and Experian. Under his leadership, Ignite Visibility has been named a leading digital marketing agency in the U.S. and made the Inc. 5,000 list six times. Lincoln also spearheaded the development of CertaintyTech, a cutting-edge media mix modelling and forecasting platform. An award-winning marketer, Lincoln has authored three books, including Advolution (2022), and produced films such as SEO: The Movie. Recognized as a Top Business Leader, he has been featured in Forbes and The New York Times and spoken at global events like Web Summit and SMX. Lincoln's mission is to empower businesses through innovative digital strategies while reinvesting in clients, employees, and the community.

About Ignite

Ignite Visibility is a premier full-service digital marketing agency. We were founded in San Diego, CA but are now a 100% remote-first company with Igniters and clients around the globe.

Ignite Visibility is one of the highest awarded digital marketing agencies in the industry, works with some of the biggest brands in the world and is a 6x Inc. 5000 company.

noun-trading

Our Services

Ignite Visibility offers Award-Winning Services including comprehensive full-funnel digital marketing strategies. Learn more about our most popular service offerings below:

  • SEO Search Engine Optimization
  • PPC Pay Per Click
  • Email Marketing
  • Social Media
  • Creative
  • View All Services

Contact Us. Let’s Chat!

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form

Marketing Guides

SEO In 2020: How To Prepare For Major Disruption

"SEO: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

"Social Media Marketing: The Movie" - Have You Seen Our Film? Watch Now

Amazon Seller Central vs Vendor Central

Listen To The Podcast Featuring The Best Minds In Marketing

John Lincoln Interviews Global Director of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Qualcomm, Jessica Jensen

Check Out 227 Free Online Marketing Classes

The 2020 Guide To Dominating SEO With Advanced Schema

Learn More About Our Digital Marketing Agency

Learn More About Our SEO Services

Learn More About Our Paid Media Services

SELECT CATEGORY

Become A Contributor

Interested in writing for Ignite Visibility?

APPLY NOW

noun-chat

Let's Chat

Ready to grow your online visibility and sales?

Request Your Free Proposal

Work With Us

NEWSLETTER // SIGN UP NOW










noun-strategy

Free Marketing Resources

  • Digital Marketing Resources
  • Marketing Strategy Videos
  • Weekly Marketing News Recaps
noun-strategy

Most Popular Blogs

  • How Long Does SEO Take?
  • Multi-Location SEO: Top Strategies
  • Google AI Overviews: Everything You Need to Know
  • Technical SEO 101
  • 18 Google Ad Extensions You Should Use
  • Complete Guide to Google Responsive Display Ads
  • Capitalizing on Local Service Ads
  • How SEO and PPC Work Together
  • Community Management Best Practices
  • B2B Social Media Marketing Guide
  • VIEW ALL BLOGS
noun-letter

Join Our Newsletter

CONNECT WITH US

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • linkedin

Services

  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Generative Engine Optimization
  • Pay Per Click Management
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Conversion Rate Optimization
  • Website Design & Development
  • Creative Design
  • Content Marketing
  • Digital PR
  • Franchise Marketing
  • Digital Marketing Agency Services

About

  • Our Team
  • Our Values
  • Clients
  • Industry
  • Reviews
  • Careers
  • Marketing Resources
  • Privacy Policy & Service Terms
  • Advertising Disclosures
  • Sitemap

Contact

4370 La Jolla Village Drive
Suite 320
San Diego, California 92122

619.752.1955

Join The Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from Ignite Visibility.











google parther logo

©2025 Ignite Visibility. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service