Doritos - Bold+Beyond

Challenge

Doritos aimed to expand its culinary range to address the evolving preferences of consumers who seek versatility in their snacks. The challenge was to create a new packaging design that communicates the product’s suitability for dipping, loading, and other culinary uses while standing out on crowded Mexican shelves. Balancing appeal, clarity, and relevance for international consumers, particularly in markets like the Netherlands, posed a significant challenge.

Objectives

Design packaging that is visually appealing and communicates culinary versatility (e.g., dipping and loading) clearly.
Differentiate the product from competitors while maintaining brand familiarity and loyalty.
Optimize the consumer experience by enhancing clarity of call-to-action (CTA) messaging and improving the overall shelf impact.

Solution

Culinary-Inspired Visuals
- Introduced “dish windows” showcasing loaded chips and nacho dishes to inspire culinary creativity and highlight product versatility.
- Leveraged dynamic angles and bold, tasty imagery to evoke energy and messiness associated with bold snacking.
Clear and Compelling CTAs
- Focused on the most understandable and relatable CTAs: “Made to dip or load” ensuring clear communication of product usage.
- Reduced polarizing elements like English-heavy text and worked to ensure flavor names were clear and relevant
Premium and Vibrant Design
- Refined packaging colors and layouts for strong shelf visibility while maintaining the iconic Doritos logo for brand recognition.
- Reworked hand elements to ensure cleanliness and aesthetic appeal, addressing consumer concerns about hygiene and appearance.

Results

Increased Appeal: The redesigned packaging outperformed the current pack and key competitors like Santa Maria on key KPIs, including appeal, relevance, uniqueness, and purchase intent.
Improved Clarity: The “Made to dip or load” CTA was the most understood message, resonating with over 85% of consumers.
Enhanced Market Presence: The redesign was particularly well-received for its culinary-inspiring visuals, helping Doritos stand out on Mexican-themed shelves and reinforcing its suitability for diverse snacking occasions.
Consumer Insights Incorporated: Addressed polarizing elements by refining visual details like hand imagery and minimizing misunderstood text, resulting in a more universally appealing design.

The Doritos Culinary redesign highlights the power of pairing bold visuals with consumer insights to drive relevance and differentiation in competitive markets.