Doritos, the gluttonous nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips, is turning 50 years old in 2016. To coincide with that anniversary, Doritos launched a yearlong marketing campaign called Bold 50. And based on what the brand has done thus far, the campaign certainly promises to be bold.
The campaign invites Doritos consumers to set or break 50 world records, all of which involve the chips in some way.
Doritos has announced just three of the 50 records that entrants can break (though it will eventually release the full list):
- Highest location from which to eat Doritos chips
- Tallest house of cards made from Doritos chips
- Farthest Doritos chip tossed into mouth
On Super Bowl Sunday, the brand executed its first record-breaking stunt. And it was not for those afraid of heights. Doritos invited fans to a tailgate while suspended 14 stories (137 feet) in the air. It looked both terrifying and amazing.
Ever since launching Crash the Super Bowl in 2006, the Doritos brand has been a staple of splashy broadcasts. Crash the Super Bowl, asked fans to create and submit user-generated videos to air as ads during the Big Game. Perhaps you remember this year’s winner:
Doritos realized, 10 years ago, that user-generated content could make effective and engaging marketing material. And though the 2016 iteration was the final such contest Doritos will run, Bold 50 continues the brand’s predilection to user-generated content while introducing an attention-grabbing promotion. I mean, just how tall is that Doritos-made house of cards going to be?
Betting on its fans, as Doritos is doing with its Bold 50, is an inherently risky proposition. Will there be enough interest? Will the videos be of a certain quality? Will they be interesting? Will the audience feel compelled to share them?
Marketing thinkers say yes, for several reasons. And these reasons can certainly be applied to a credit union’s marketing efforts as well.
Reason No. 1: The user-generated content being produced relates to the Doritos brand.
Doritos talks about bold flavors, so the idea of breaking records by doing crazy things is absolutely consistent with the brand, Aliza Freud, CEO of SheSpeaks, a marketing and media company, told AdWeek.
Reason No. 2: The campaign encourages the breaking of records but also competition among participants.
People can relate to accomplishments, goofy or otherwise, says Peter Dixon, chief creative officer of brand and marketing consultancy Prophet to AdWeek. Doritos is tapping into content that engages a human condition, and the truth is that people love competition.
Reason No. 3: The campaign is fundamentally about the people and not the brand.
Doritos figured out early on that the smart way to advertise is not to have your product be the hero, but to have your consumer be the star. People share content that features people like them, says Freud at SheSpeaks.
