This article appears in the March/April 2017 issue of strategy.
GOLD: Seasonal
SITUATION ANALYSIS | In January 2016, Doritos Ketchup returned as a limited-time flavour after its highly successful re-introduction in 2015. However, even though it had developed a cult-like following among 18- to 34-year-old males, mass penetration had been low. With a higher sales target in 2016, a broader audience needed to be reached.
INSIGHT & STRATEGY | Doritos Ketchup was set to launch just before Valentine’s Day, an event that has traditionally been geared toward women. While a bouquet of flowers is the go-to gift guys rely on, there was no equivalent gift for women to give to men, making it a pretty one-sided affair. So what do women give guys? “Doritos Ketchup Roses” – bouquets made entirely of Doritos Ketchup chips – would solve the historic problem of what to give a guy on Valentine’s Day.
EXECUTION | Launched nationally in Feb. 2016, “Doritos Ketchup Roses” was supported by a budget of $200,000 and focused on social media as the primary driver, along with key influencers and news media. A week prior to Valentine’s Day, a 70s-inspired infomercial launched “Doritos Ketchup Roses” across all Doritos channels. Fans could visit DoritosKetchupRoses.com and order a bouquet for their loved one, to be delivered to their door on Valentine’s Day for free.
The campaign was supported with a mix of videos, animated promotions and instructional guides designed to encourage people to secure their bouquet for a loved one. A series of irreverent memes and GIFs were seeded on Reddit and other social channels. Bouquets of “Doritos Ketchup Roses” were pre-seeded to key media outlets and bloggers the week before Valentine’s Day.
RESULTS | Baseline sales grew 8%, more than double the target sales increase, making Doritos Ketchup the most successful limited time offer in the brand’s history. The repeat sales rate of 30% exceeded the objective of 20%. There was a 45% increase in brand purchase consideration while the rating for “brand I love” increased by 10%. Feature pricing (commonly used to support limited time offers) was limited, leading to a record percentage of volume sold at full purchase price for a Doritos limited time offer. This made the program significantly more profitable than previous year.
CAUSE & EFFECT | The campaign achieved 4.3 million views – more than double the projection – with 56 million earned media impressions, a value of over $675,000. #DoritosKetchupRoses became a top 10 organic Twitter trending topic during the promotion. Doritos Ketchup was in market during the same period as the previous year with a similar level of investment, with no significant change in distribution.
CREDITS
Client | PepsiCo Foods Canada
Senior director of marketing, global brand | Susan Irving
Marketing manager | Matt Webster
Senior marketing manager, digital strategy | James Clarke
Contractor, digital content | Kevin Gonsalves
Senior manager, corporate communications | Sheri Morgan
Agency | BBDO Toronto
SVP, ECDs | Denise Rossetto, Todd Mackie
VP, ACD | Derek Blais
AD | Nolan Kennelly
Copywriter | Egin Kongoli
Senior account planner| Travis St. Denis
Agency producer | Jana Desjardins
Project manager | Sarah Ng
VP, group account director | Stephanie Page
Account supervisors | Solo Gritskiv, Mary Montsenigos
Account executive | Karrie Kwong
Broadcast producer and account exec | Anne-Christel Rajoelina
Media agency | OMD Canada
PR agency | Citizen Relations Canada
Production and post-production | Someplace Nice
Director/video editor | Sean McBride
