Doritos: No Logo

Doritos has ditched its logo for a new U.S. campaign that literally removes it from advertising creative, its website (the new URL: thelogogoeshere.com) and social channels.

The anti-marketing marketing move is supposed to resonate with Gen Z consumers. “There’s a desire to almost reject traditional advertising,” Rachel Ferdinando, senior vice-president of marketing at Frito-Lay, told the Wall Street Journal.

In reality, though, it’s hard to imagine anyone coming across the advertising and not knowing what it’s for. “Branding is more than a logo. Doritos, in a way, are showing off. Look we’ve got valuable distinctive assets,” tweeted marketing professor Byron Sharp.

The TV spot includes plenty of visual clues, and the move was PR’d enough to generate considerable news coverage. It’s also being pumped into the digital air supply. “The real thrust of the campaign is in digital,” said Ferdinando. “We have a lot of content that’s focused where Gen Z consumes media.” Social posts play with a triangle, the shape synonymous with the Doritos logo, and there’s also a Snapchat lens that turns the user’s face into a triangle.

The power of beauty influencers

Last week Estee Lauder revealed that 75% of its marketing budget now goes to influencer marketing. New research out of Harvard Business School suggests the strategy might be a good one.

A survey of 520 beauty enthusiasts on Facebook revealed that 62% follow beauty influencers on social media. Influencers were also the most popular source of information about beauty products, at 67%, compared to just 44% who said advertising and 34% who said public figures and celebrities.

“These consumers are building relationships, and they are bonding with these influencers,” said Harvard Business School MBA graduate Alessia Vettese, who conducted the research. “They have regular conversations back and forth, and they think of the influencers as being directly ingrained in their day-to-day lives.”

KFC tests Beyond Meat

Which came first, the chicken or the veg? KFC has become the latest QSR to partner with the plant-based protein company Beyond Meat, announcing a “limited test” of Beyond Fried Chicken in a single Atlanta location.

KFC will offer Beyond Fried Chicken in two forms: nuggets or boneless wings.

According to KFC, customer feedback from the Atlanta test will be considered as the chain considers a broader test or “potential national rollout” of the Beyond Fried Chicken product.

“KFC Beyond Fried Chicken is so delicious, our customers will find it difficult to tell that it’s plant-based,” said Kevin Hochman, president and chief concept officer for KFC U.S. in a release. “I think we’ve all heard ‘it tastes like chicken’—well our customers are going to be amazed and say, ‘It tastes like Kentucky Fried Chicken!'”

VW introducing a new logo

Volkswagen has confirmed that it is introducing new branding, including a new logo, at the IAA International Motor Show in Frankfurt next month.

“The presentation of the brand is to become significantly younger, more digital and therefore more modern,” said a statement announcing the changes, which VW is referring to simply as “New Volkswagen.” VW seems determined to present a new face for the company, as it tries to leave behind the 2015 emissions scandal.

“As a general principle, the aim in future will not be to show a perfect advertising world. In our presentation, we want to become more human and more lively, to adopt the customer’s perspective to a greater extent and to tell authentic stories,” said Jochen Sengpiehl, chief marketing officer of Volkswagen. The logo will be cleaner and simpler, flattened out and two-dimensional. It was actually used in new advertising creative released in June that directly addressed the lingering scandal.