Doritos is introducing a new brand platform to reach a multi-generational audience with the beginning of a global campaign that will help it redesign the meaning of “bold.”
Having introduced the platform “For the Bold” in 2013 with its first global campaign, the PepsiCo-owned snack brand will evolve the line to become “For the Bold in Everyone” to appeal to consumers around the world, young and old.
That will be communicated with the first in an ongoing series of global and regional campaigns, beginning with the story of a grandmother and grandson and her unexpected passion for monster cars out of Doritos’ long-standing creative agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
It will run in Australia and other European markets such as Spain and the Netherlands before expanding across Latin America and other key international markets throughout the year. This will mark the first of many touch points in a larger brand platform over the coming years.
“The ambition is to increase relevance between generations by adjusting and elevating what being bold means for society today. The brand has established a strong foundation on being a ‘bold’ snack having communicated “for the bold” over the years. We have it as a distinctive asset,” Fernando Kahane, Doritos global marketing head at PepsiCo, told Adweek.
Through its research, the brand discovered that it needed to redefine what “bold” meant to different demographics as it looked to grow beyond younger consumers while challenging traditional stereotypes. That will manifest moving forward with pairs of characters undertaking their non-stereotypical passions in future campaigns using humor, with the brand sourcing real stories around the world.
Local activations of the campaign
Local activations featuring consumers and their own passions will be produced with the U.K. campaign aiming to champion a breadth of stories to applaud those who smash preconceptions, explained Hannah Nearchou, senior marketing manager, Doritos at PepsiCo.
The local U.K. ads will feature soccer player Chloe Kelly, who delivered a more powerful shot than any recorded in the top England men’s football tournament; Pete & Bas— Britain’s oldest Grime MCs; Dan Mancina, a blind professional skateboarder and Colette Zacca, the ‘Dancing Granny’ who took the 2019 Notting Hill Carnival by storm.
These will be created by Sips&Bites, PepsiCo’s in-house creative agency,
Fame is what is going to cut through the clutter, drive mental salience and drive talkability.
—Fernando Kahane, Doritos global marketing head, PepsiCo
“As a brand, Doritos has never conformed to the norms of the snacking category, we’ve always stood out and pushed the boundaries,” added Nearchou. “We know that consumers continue to look for ways to boldly express themselves and this is no different when it comes to the intense flavors they seek when snacking.”
Kahane reveals that the campaign will be monitored based on growth metrics around relevance as it aims to recruit the next generation of Doritos consumers while tracking the unstereotype aspect within its brand equity. Business results, alongside brand distinctiveness and position, will be measured following the release of “For the Bold in Everyone.”
He added that a cohesive brand narrative, distinctive and consistency will be key elements moving forward.
“One of the big topics that we’re going to be discussing this year well, apart from AI, is consistency because I think Covid threw a curveball in terms of consistency for some brands,” Kahane explained.
Elsewhere for Doritos
Another metric Kahane believes is important for the brand to build through its various marketing initiatives it to drive fame.
“Fame is a multiplier of effectiveness” he stated, placing talkability above high-scoring creative advertising to cut through with consumers.
One example was the recent partnership with drinks company Empirical to release an alcoholic drink that tastes like Doritos. Another was Doritos Silent—the crunch-canceling AI technology that gamers could use to stop their friends from hearing them eating the brand’s chips, which ultimately drove 16,000 downloads worldwide.
And potentially taking it to even greater heights will be the Super Bowl spot featuring Hollywood’s belle du jour—Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, with whom it has only released a teaser spot so far.
“Fame is what is going to cut through the clutter, drive mental salience and drive talkability. And that’s why we’re trying to think differently about how those stories drive more talkability and drive more fame from a story sense that puts the brand out there in a famous way,” stated Kahane.
