Who: PepsiCo Foods Canada (Doritos), BBDO (and its creator platform Flare Studios), Citizen for PR, OMD for media and MarkIV for in-store.
What: A Gen Z focused initiative called KetchupPlus.ca, which is billed as “the first-ever streaming platform by a snack brand.” It’s a content hub built around, appropriately enough, “snackable” content (all of the videos are under 10 minutes long).
When & Where: The website launched yesterday, coinciding with the return of Doritos Ketchup chips, and will be live through Sept. 6.
Why: The campaign is supporting the return of Doritos Ketchup. It’s part of what Shirley Mukerjea, senior marketing director at PepsiCo Foods Canada, describes as “next-level” campaigns that are a hallmark of the Doritos brand.
Previous promotional efforts for the brand have included bouquets of Doritos Ketchup Roses for Valentine’s Day, and a limited-edition clothing line including T-shirts, a varsity jacket, caps and a duffle bag.
How: Doritos worked with creators to develop the site’s content, which includes short-form videos spanning comedy, drama, fashion and cooking shows.
The videos include an Unsolved Mysteries-inspired short called Mysteries Uncovered, which posits that the Ancient Egyptians were responsible for ketchup-flavoured tortilla chips; “Ketchup Kiss,” a love song to the limited edition chips (complete with an animated video); and a show called Backyard Science Academy featuring “science experiments” using Doritos Ketchup chips (see some of the videos below).
“We know that our Gen-Z fan base is constantly connected, searching for inspiration and looking for ways to boldly express what makes them unique,” says Mukerjea. “We felt there was no better way to connect with them than via a free video streaming platform with original content, developed by creators who have expressed their deep love of Doritos Ketchup chips.”
How are you driving to the site: The media plan from OMD includes a heavy digital and social push, including sponsored content partnerships with the review site Rotten Tomatoes and Narcity Canada. The PR component with Citizen includes influencer partnerships and earned media.
What’s the deal with Ketchup Doritos anyway? First introduced in 2015, Doritos Ketchup is part of a rotation of what Mukerjea calls “fan-favourite flavours” that it brings back as limited-time products.
Doritos sold more than 2 million bags of the flavour last year, and Mukerjea says that ketchup is regularly the number one requested flavour to its consumer response centre. “Canadians love ketchup, and Doritos Ketchup has an extremely loyal fan base that rejoices every year when it returns to shelves,” she says.
And we quote: “A brand that’s focused on igniting self-expression, Doritos encouraged all content creators to boldly express their love for Doritos Ketchup in a wide range of stories. The Doritos Ketchup+ platform’s original and unique content goes to show that even during unprecedented times like these, creativity cannot be stifled—in fact, it blossoms.” — Shirley Mukerjea, senior marketing director, PepsiCo Foods Canada
https://www.ketchupplus.ca/en/movie/backyard-science-academy
https://www.ketchupplus.ca/en/movie/ketchup-kiss
https://www.ketchupplus.ca/en/movie/mysteries-uncovered
