Dive Brief:

• Doritos is taking a cue from vintage adult films to promote its new Golden Sriracha chips, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• At the heart of the campaign is a long-form video, “A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber,” that stars actor Walton Goggins as he tries to fix a sink leak for a “bombshell” customer. The script is loaded with innuendo, but Goggins undercuts the come-ons by playing a by-the-books professional (until eating Doritos, that is).  
• The Frito-Lay snack maker is screening the short during a VIP influencer event at New York’s Slipper Room. Digital and out-of-home ads, including Times Square placements, will try to generate additional traction for the effort, as will a broadcast channel on Instagram for sharing “zestier” content than is allowed on Doritos’ public channels.  

Dive Insight:

Nostalgia for vintage pop culture is nothing new in marketing. Emulating old-school porn is a different beast, however, and could raise eyebrows for Doritos’s Golden Sriracha variant, which is being positioned as the Frito-Lay marketer’s potential next big flavor innovation.

“A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber” carries the hazy look and corny feel of ‘70s smut, opening on a vinyl record starting to spin on a turntable. Goggins, who is having a moment in the cultural spotlight, stars as a plumber hired to fix a blond bombshell’s broken pipes. Just as their conversation is reaching a fever pitch of innuendo, Goggins ruins the moment by describing the source of the sink leak in great technical detail. The viewer is meant to understand that everyone is operating from an X-rated script but him.  

The arrival of a male roommate who hears “banging” does little to break the plumber out of his straight-arrow character, nor does the later appearance of a “cougar” drawn to sounds of moaning (over the plumber’s payment plan options). Only after biting into a Golden Sriracha Dorito does Goggins’ protagonist seem to recognize the genre he’s in, just in time for an “extra large sausage” pizza, courtesy of a ridiculous-looking delivery man. 

The racy creative premiered as part of an event at the Slipper Room, an iconic Lower East Side venue that is credited with helping bring neo-burlesque to New York. A 360-degree media plan supports the short, including digital, social and OOH ads, including some placed around Times Square, once the seedy home of adult theaters. Doritos is also leveraging Instagram’s broadcast channel feature for content that further straddles the NSFW line. 

Doritos said the effort, developed with agency Rethink, was informed by Gen Z’s preference for flavors that are spicy without overcranking the heat index. “A Spicy, but Not Too Spicy Plumber” follows that lead with humor that is “playful and suggestive” without ever being explicit. Doritos Golden Sriracha, which is now sold nationwide, is part of a larger wave of food and beverage products trying to capitalize on Gen Z’s love of spicy snacks. 

“By elevating Doritos Golden Sriracha, a globally inspired flavor that balances tanginess and sweetness with approachable heat, with a campaign that playfully subverts expectations, we hope to inspire fans to take a bite of what could be our next ‘mega-flavor,’” said Tina Mahal, SVP marketing at PepsiCo Foods U.S., in a statement. 

While the over-the-top approach could court controversy, Goggins may also help bolster Doritos’ appeal. The actor has achieved fresh levels of popularity thanks to roles in streaming hits like HBO Max’s “The White Lotus” and Amazon Prime Video’s “Fallout.” Brand deals have quickly followed, with the actor appearing in recent campaigns for companies like Walmart and GoDaddy.