2. BackgroundInformation
Doritos was originally produced in Anaheim, California as a product made at the Casa de
Fritos at Disneyland. They were made to resemble the Mexican chilaquiles, but in a dry form.
The Vice President of Marketing for Frito-Lay at the time began to notice the popularity
surrounding the new product. In 1964 Doritos were sold on the regional market after making a
deal with Alex Foods; the providers for Casa De Fritos at Disneyland. There was an
overwhelming response to the product on the market that Frito-Lay moved the production of
Doritos in-house at their Tulsa plant. In 1966, Doritos was launched nationwide and entered the
market as the first tortilla chip introduced in the United States. Doritos is part of the Frito-Lay
umbrella. Frito-Lay is a brand within the PepsiCo brand.
Rebranding
In 1994, Doritos was redesigned to accommodate the customers needs. The chip was
enlarged by 20% and was thinned out by 15% also adopting the rounded edge look. The main
reason for the change was “greater competition from the restaurant-style tortilla chips, that are
larger and more strongly seasoned.” (Roger J. Berdusco) In 2002, trans-fat was eliminated from
all Dorito styles. In 2013, Doritos was rebranded again introducing the new logo and adopting a
slogan “FOR THE BOLD”
Flavors & Products-TargetAudience
Over the years Doritos has introduced 117 different flavors into the market. Not all flavors are
introduced to each market that Doritos distributes to. Some flavors are particular to certain areas
and only a handful are originals are distributed to all markets. Within choosing flavors they
3. wanted to identify with their audience so they partnered up a number of uniquely known brands
and produced products that incorporate Doritos within the food. Example when Taco Bell was
within the PepsiCo umbrella before sectioning off as Yum Inc. they were able to create the Taco
Supreme, years later they have recreated the partnership and renamed the taco to Loco Taco and
the Doritos Gordita Supreme in which you can choose the style of Dorito (Cheese, Fiery or Cool
Ranch) that you desire when creating your taco style. They have also partnered with 7-Eleven to
create the Doritos Loaded. In 2015, Burger King was included in this partnership and began to
sell the Loaded in selective locations. Soon to be introduced to the market Burger King once
again is putting a Dorito on it with the new Steakhouse Dorito burger that will be served. Doritos
over the years has also introduced Mid-Night flavors to target the late night snackers. The target
audience for Doritos is specifically aimed at teenagers, children, adults and elderly people.
Doritos is a type of snack that is made for all types of peoples, because they believe that this is a
snack that provides a wide selection of flavors , that will satisfy their audiences’s taste buds.
Brand Awareness/Marketing Strategies
Over the years Superbowl commercials have drawn a large following of individuals.
Some viewers watch Superbowl just to see the creativity that is put forth with the commercials
that air. Doritos has used this event as the platform for a large marketing campaign. To create
their unique commercials they enlisted the help of Doritos consumers. Superbowl XLI Doritos
launched a “Crash the Super Bowl” this event allowed consumers of Doritos to create their own
commercials and submit to Doritos where the public voted on their favorite submissions for
potential of airing during the Doritos purchased Super Bowl Ad slots. During their first Super
4. Bowl Fan contest Doritos was ranked 1st on creativity and liking from all Super Bowl Ads that
were shown.
The following year they took a different approach and created a commercial with a
musician in hopes that with recognition the commercial would rank high on the Super Bowl
Ranks. Unfortunately, this commercial did have the recognition that they were looking for, but
the commercial itself did not generate the buzz that was seeked. They eventually went back to
the fan base commercials and the 1st Place contestant winners if ranked high during Super Bowl
were awarded for their creations. Over the past 10 years of the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest
Doritos has continued to reach out to their Fan base to create the most creative commercials and
continues to hold top spots each year for the connection that they have with the Dorito
community. In 2015, Doritos announced they will no longer be doing the contest, but plan to
spend big for their final go around. The 2016 Super Bowl commercials featured 3 finalists for the
brand and once again ranked high with viewers choice on best commercials.
Outside of Super Bowl Doritos has created other Fan base contests. Their ability to reach
the consumer from a different avenue has helped keep the brand relevent. Currently, Doritos has
a Red vs. Blue contest going on that includes prizes. Some of the prizes range from, paid trips to
Las Vegas, Caribbean Cruise Trips, Snow Ski Trip to Colorado and Doritos paraphernalia (i.e.
Hats, Shirts, Jackets, Mugs). This vote is based off of Dorito bags that are purchased with the 10
digit bag number included or you could request a 10 digit code to be sent to you for a chance to
win a prize. This contest will be going on for the duration of September & October.
Within this one contest their will be multiple winners on both Red & Blue’s side. Dorito
official paraphernalia will be distributed to large qualities on individuals. When providing
winning prizes such as hats, shirts, etc. not only is Doritos acknowledging the individual
5. participating in the contest, but they are also getting free advertising when this person is being
seen in public with said prizes.
Doritos is also celebrating 50 years and has linked a fan contest to this celebration. This
contest consist of setting a record for a chance to win $1,000. During the duration of 2016
Doritos has listed 50 records that they wish to have broken by Fan users. The records range from
building the tallest stack of Doritos and jumping over the stack, eating a Doritos Locos Taco all
at once, longest time juggling 3 mixed Dorito bags, etc.. Fans interested in participating in this
contest have to submit videos online for the Doritos committee to review. Each week a new
record will be attempted; after the week that the record has been posted the submission for that
record video will be closed and winners will be announced to the public.
Conclusion
All contests that are promoted for Doritos are all spotlighted throughout their online
presence. Doritos has a positive interaction with all social media platforms and really
understands how to communicate with their audience. With their understanding of what people
are looking for and their involvement with the fan base Doritos has set themselves apart from the
other chip brands. They strive to be unique, hip and have a positive vibe. Although many may
say chips are not as health as other choices Doritos has linked themselves to the athletic world
along with the musically appreciated. Doritos has not released how they plan to strategies their
Super Bowl ads or which other contest that they will launch, but they have done an amazing job
so far promoting their brand. They have definitely set themselves apart from other brands within
their market.
