Why Doritos ditched their logo to appeal to Gen Z on 'Another level'
Before the pandemic, Doritos dropped its logo and brand name from its advertising, social feed and packs to attract a younger ad-averse audience.
On the website, instead of images of their packs users were welcomed by a message that read “What products? You already know”
Even the ad was called the 'Anti-ad'
And the legal small print that appeared read. “Lawyers love to spoil the fun. ‘Another Level’ is a trademark of Frito-Lay North America, Inc. Pretend you didn’t see,”
Now, was this a risky strategy by Goodby Silverstein & Partners or as I like to think, a really smart response to 66% of Gen Z in US having ad blockers? (source YouGov)
And more importantly how did the agency convince the client to ditch the logo completely, when must clients usually want to increase the size of it? I mean we are talking about a PepsiCo company that sells 1.4 billion dollars, worth of Doritos in North America every year alone. (Source: Statista 2017)
Well, the agency had obviously done their homework and knew that the audience would instantly recognise the brand, simply by using the iconic triangle shape of the product and blue and red bags. So confident in fact, that they convinced the client to ditch the logo.
For me this is a great demonstration of the power of building 'memory structures' that Byron sharp talks about in his book ‘How Brands Grow’
In layman terms:
Distinctive brand assets build memory structures
Creating mental availability
Making it easier for people to notice, recognise and recall a brand
When they are ready to buy
And in the case of Doritos the iconic triangle shape was so distinctive as a brand element, so ingrained in people’s memory through their iconic advertising, brand experiences and physical availability on packs, that they could afford to ditch one of their other brand assets, namely the logo.
Which is perfect if you want to advertise to an audience who are ad-averse.
They are not the only ones
It’s not the first time a brand has ditched its name to appeal to younger audiences. Nike often relies on just the ‘Swoosh’ to identify its products. Starbucks have removed their name from their cups.
And even McDonalds unveiled their first unbranded ad campaign back in 2017, featuring comedian Mindy Kaling, without the famous arches or jingle. Relying on the curiosity of the viewer to drive Google searches.
Take out
Whilst ditching the logo would not be the recommend approach for most brands, it does go to show the importance of thinking about the audience first, how they like to engage with brands and how you can create an emotional connection without being screened out. Making sure you have iconic brand elements that will get your brand noticed even on a subconscious level.
Was the ad the most entertaining ad Doritos have ever made? Probably not. But did it drive huge engagement and launch the new brand platform ‘Another level’? which can work on 'every level'? Almost certainly.
‘Another level’ is now being activated in other ways to appeal to their core audience.