- Doritos is taking a cue from vintage adult films to promote its new Golden Sriracha chips, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- At the guts of the campaign is a long-form video, “A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber,” that stars actor Walton Goggins as he tries to fix a sink leak for a “bombshell” customer. The script is loaded with innuendo, but Goggins undercuts the come-ons by playing a by-the-books skilled (until eating Doritos, that’s).
- The Frito-Lay snack maker is screening the short during a VIP influencer event at New York’s Slipper Room. Digital and out-of-home ads, including Times Square placements, will try to generate additional traction for the hassle, as will a broadcast channel on Instagram for sharing “zestier” content than is allowed on Doritos’ public channels.
Nostalgia for vintage popular culture is nothing new in marketing. Emulating old-school porn is a special beast, nevertheless, and will raise eyebrows for Doritos’s Golden Sriracha variant, which is being positioned because the Frito-Lay marketer’s potential next big flavor innovation.
“A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber” carries the hazy look and corny feel of ‘70s smut, opening on a vinyl record starting to spin on a turntable. Goggins, who’s having a moment within the cultural highlight, stars as a plumber hired to fix a blond bombshell’s broken pipes. Just as their conversation is reaching a fever pitch of innuendo, Goggins ruins the moment by describing the source of the sink leak in great technical detail. The viewer is supposed to understand that everyone seems to be operating from an X-rated script but him.
The arrival of a male roommate who hears “banging” does little to break the plumber out of his straight-arrow character, nor does the later appearance of a “cougar” drawn to sounds of moaning (over the plumber’s payment plan options). Only after biting right into a Golden Sriracha Dorito does Goggins’ protagonist seem to recognize the genre he’s in, just in time for an “extra large sausage” pizza, courtesy of a ridiculous-looking delivery man.
The racy creative premiered as a part of an event on the Slipper Room, an iconic Lower East Side venue that’s credited with helping bring neo-burlesque to New York. A 360-degree media plan supports the short, including digital, social and OOH ads, including some placed around Times Square, once the seedy home of adult theaters. Doritos can be leveraging Instagram’s broadcast channel feature for content that further straddles the NSFW line.
Doritos said the hassle, developed with agency Rethink, was informed by Gen Z’s preference for flavors which are spicy without overcranking the warmth index. “A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber” follows that lead with humor that’s “playful and suggestive” without ever being explicit. Doritos Golden Sriracha, which is now sold nationwide, is a component of a bigger wave of food and beverage products trying to capitalize on Gen Z’s love of spicy snacks.
“By elevating Doritos Golden Sriracha, a globally inspired flavor that balances tanginess and sweetness with approachable heat, with a campaign that playfully subverts expectations, we hope to encourage fans to take a bite of what could possibly be our next ‘mega-flavor,’” said Tina Mahal, SVP marketing at PepsiCo Foods U.S., in an announcement.
While the over-the-top approach could court controversy, Goggins can also help bolster Doritos’ appeal. The actor has achieved fresh levels of recognition thanks to roles in streaming hits like HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” and Amazon Prime Video’s “Fallout.” Brand deals have quickly followed, with the actor appearing in recent campaigns for corporations like Walmart and GoDaddy.
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