How would you react if your valentine presented you with a bouquet of Doritos? What if they woke you each morning with a breakfast in bed of Doritos and milk? Have you ever been so in love you can’t help but pop the question by popping open a bag of Doritos with a Dorito engagement ring?
In this commercial you can’t help but think one company is shamelessly promoting America’s favourite seasoned tortilla chips. That is until the cheesy love story hits a salty twist. If you haven’t already seen the viral video, check it out here:
The viewer is shocked to the point where they can feel the lovebirds shame. As the lovers look at what they caused and each other in disgust, you feel the same shame at your own ignorance.
You suddenly realise that this isn’t a lighthearted advertisement celebrating Americas greatest loves: their romance and their brands. No, this is a product of Sum of Us having a chip on their shoulder – and the chip is there for a very good reason.
The content on the petition is equally as powerful:
That sound when you bite down on Doritos? That’s the sound of rainforests being “crunched” to make way for massive palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia. Workers, and even children, are trapped in modern slavery on the plantations. Forests and peatlands are burned to the ground, driving endangered species like orangutans to extinction and polluting the Earth’s atmosphere with gigatons of greenhouse gases — all to make palm oil.”
This little campaign is just one out of about 260 others. But it is one of their largest and most powerful ones. All because of a little bit of marketing creativity.
It is unfortunate but most social cause campaigns are ignored. Viewers don’t want to hear heavy messages. If you tell them Doritos is bad and therefore you should feel bad people will probably stop paying attention. The trick is to make a message worth hearing worth listening to. And sometimes all it takes is a sprinkle of seasoning.