To celebrate their 100th anniversary and take part in Chile’s “Fiestas Patrias” in the lead-up to the nation's Independence Day, the U.S.-based brand Hellmann’s set a new record for the longest line of hot dogs.
Forming a line more than 250 meters (820.21 feet) long, 1,500 individual hot dogs were laid in line to help Hellmann's set the 21 st record currently held by the South American country.
For the very first time, a documented Guinness World Records adjudicator visited Chile, with the event taking place in the capital of Santiago. The record attempt grew in anticipation throughout the day, taking several hours from the laying out of hot dog holders to the final dashes of mayonnaise that were put on by local TV star Jorge Zabaleta.
With record guidelines requiring that all hot dogs contain at least one other ingredient and topping, Hellmann's found the perfect way to involve its brand while connecting locally. In this case, the hot dogs were traditional Chilean “completos,” which come with tomato, avocado and usually mayonnaise.
The success saw coverage on the Chilean newscast "24 Horas," as well as placement in the state-owned "La Nación" newspaper, and pick-up from the Terra group and daily "Publimetro."
Preparing this line of hot dogs was no simple task – the benchmark for this new record category had initially been set by Guinness World Records at 500 hot dogs in 2012, only to have no successful challengers until Hellmann's big triumph.
