Doritos Rainbows wins a 2016 Performance with Purpose Award
The Performance with Purpose Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding accomplishments from around the world in Human, Environmental and Talent Sustainability, as well as in the critical focus areas of Innovation, Brand Building, Execution and Productivity.
Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) won the 2016 Performance with Purpose Award in the Brand Building category for Doritos Rainbows, a truly inspiring and innovative product and program that gave consumers an opportunity to show their support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) youth.
The rainbow-colored Doritos chips were inspired by the rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT community and LGBT pride. And echoing the brand’s “Be Bold” proposition, the limited-edition product proudly proclaimed that “there is nothing bolder than being yourself.”
The colorful campaign, developed by the FLNA team with input from the EQUAL Employee Resource Group, was launched in September 2015 to coincide with the Dallas, Texas Pride Parade. Doritos participated in the celebrations with a float made up of Dallas-area EQUAL members, Allies and their families.
Doritos Rainbows garnered more than 1 billion social media impressions and more than 650 media impressions, a record for FLNA. On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Doritos became a trending topic across the U.S.
Doritos’ followers on Instagram increased by 12,500. On Twitter, Doritos followers increased by 158 times the brand’s weekly average, with a gain of 8,000. Fans shared messages of support by using the hashtag #BolderAndBetter.
The program was conducted in partnership with the It Gets Better Project, which began in 2010 in response to LGBT youth taking their lives after being bullied. "For a young LGBT person to see that their favorite chip is on their side, it shows them that they have friends in more places than they know," said Brett Peters, spokesman for the It Gets Better Project.
Doritos Rainbows also marked the first time FLNA used digital printing to create 30 unique quotes for its packaging. The quotes, from the It Gets Better website, included “Be you, be free, and never let anyone tell you that your life wasn’t meant to be,” from Christien O., and “Your life is waiting for you. Imagine the friends you will have, the places you will see and visit, and the experiences you will have. It does get better,” from Kyle Y.
“It is a privilege to work for an organization that allows marketers to think bold and take risks,” said Jeff Klein, Brand Marketing vice president for FLNA. “Doritos Rainbows was not the largest marketing activation of the year by Doritos, but I think it was the most important.”
The inventory of chips was intended to last for four weeks of various LGBT Pride celebrations, but ran out in less than 24 hours. And Doritos Rainbows raised more than $170,000 USD in just 12 hours for the It Gets Better Project.
“This win shows that when we live our values of respecting others and honoring diversity, the response from our consumers is overwhelmingly positive,” said Patrick McLaughlin, senior vice president, Chief HR Officer, FLNA.